Welcome to the New Age
by sol-luna
Summary: She grew up among heroes and monsters. Her parents were Rangers and her brother is one. Lacking confidence and living in cowardice prevents her from truly becoming the person she's wanted to be all her life. It takes the apocalypse to make her realize she possessed a braver spirit. Follows the movie and the novelization. RaleighxOC
1. We're the Resistance

Back when I was in elementary school, I always dreamed of doing something I loved and made me happy. During high school, I had discovered my love of science; I wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. However, plans were ruined once the Kaiju emerged. They were monsters with a desire to destroy. Things never really went back to normal after the first attack. Such is life. She throws unexpected curveballs at you.

Lately I've been finding myself trying to soak in my surroundings and distinguish whether or not it's fantasy or reality. After the first Kaiju attack, everything just flew by and I wasn't able to savor my days. I was forced to grow up, to rely on my primitive nature. I haven't lost my humanity; I just realized what it meant to_ survive_. My thoughts were disrupted when I heard a knock on my door. One I knew all too well.

"The door's open Alex!" I sat up on my bed and saw my brother enter my room. He sat down next to me and ruffled my hair, to which I responded with a glare.

"Mez, the jaegers are looking kick-ass, I can't wait to go back on _Aguila." _I flinched involuntarily. It's been awhile since I allowed myself to go on a jaeger and hearing my brother's enthusiasm brought back a flood of memories.

"Hey…Sis, look at me." His voice was softer than usual. I looked up at him and did my best to avoid looking at a once severely wounded area.

"It's been four years now. You have to forgive yourself and move on. We're more than ready Meztli. Mom and Pops knew you were. It's time you start believing it." He got up and flicked my cheek lightly.

"Pentecost wants us in his office in fifteen." He gave me a smile and walked out my door.

I looked over at my wall and saw the last picture we took with our parents. We all had smiles on our faces. The photo radiated the happiness we felt that day. That was before their duty called them to serve and protect. They were the two Jaeger pilots that defeated the Kaiju that attacked Mexico. It was their motherland and their blood was shed on the land that they abandoned many years before. I was only twelve and my brother was seventeen. That day forever changed the course of our lives. I sighed.

"Cuidanos Mami y Papi."

The Shatterdome was not the loveliest of places, but it had become a home. Pentecost knew my parents long before and when my brother joined the PPDC in 2017 he allowed me to come along. Being around Jaegers was nothing new to me. In fact I picked up a few things and learned how to fix them as well. As I walked by the people I worked alongside with, I smiled at them and nodded my head in recognition of all the sacrifices they were making. We were working on borrowed time and every moment of bliss had to be savored. Once I got to Pentecost's office I knocked. Hearing his familiar voice, I walked inside. My brother was already there along with Mako.

"I'm certain you have heard the name Raleigh Becket." His name rang a bell in my head and I nodded.

"He's the one from Anchorage, correct?" I turned to look at my brother and then back at Pentecost.

"Yes. We have located him and plan on bringing him here. His expertise is much needed." He paused to look at all of us.

"With that being said, I expect Gipsy to continue being worked on. I also would like his room to be set up and such. Understood?" We all nodded are heads and he dismissed us. Before I could exit the room, he called me over to his desk once more.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you plan on getting in a Jaeger soon?" I looked down at the floor. Suddenly the tiles with visible shoe marks became more interesting.

"Sir. I know I was trained at a much younger age, but it was a mistake for me to go on _Aguila _when I was 17." I moved my gaze back up. A flash of empathy was visible on his face, but it quickly returned to his stern demeanor.

"It didn't stop you from continuing your training,"

"With your permission, I'd like to retreat." He sighed.

"Permission granted." I turned around and made my way to the door. Before I opened it I heard him once more.

"You're a born Ranger." I walked out of his office. I know I should be more grateful and appreciate the moments in which Pentecost shows his more fatherly side. I made my way back to my room. It becomes second nature to walk the same path so I didn't bother paying attention to my surroundings.

(Several days later)

I had been informed by Mako that Raleigh Becket was nearing the Shatterdome. She wanted me to accompany her. We were both in charge of the Mark III Restoration Project. From a young age we were exposed to the jaeger/Kaiju world and shared similar sufferings because of it. I braided my hair and walked out in my regular attire which consisted in my black combat boots, gray pants and a long sleeve black shirt. I grabbed my rain coat and umbrella. I met up with Mako and we headed outside. It felt refreshing to step out of the stuffed area and the rain made it even better. The nice breeze relaxed me. Mako was calm and composed as always. I saw Sikorsky land and we waited for them to come closer. Pentecost emerged alongside with a man with blond hair. I noticed he was taking in his surroundings.

"This is Mako Mori and Meztli Hidalgo, two of the brightest women I know. Both are in charge of the Mark III Restoration Project." I looked down embarrassed slightly by Pentecost's words. I looked up once again and saw Mako bowing slightly to Raleigh. I nodded my head. He looked slightly surprised but regained his composure. While we waited for the cargo elevator I decided to speak.

"Welcome to Hong Kong, Mr. Becket."

"Raleigh. Please." He smiled and I couldn't help but return it. Mako then whispered something to Pentecost in Japanese. To her surprise and mine as well, Raleigh understood what she had said.

"Chigau no? Yoi ka warui ka?*" I noticed he winked at her and had a small smirk on his face. Mako was embarrassed and instantly began apologizing.

"¿No me vallas a decir que entiendes Español también?"

"Un poco." It seemed like we had ourselves a talented man on the team.

"Nice." The elevator door opened and before I could get in, I heard shouts in the distance. Raleigh held the door and inside came Newt and Dr. Gottlieb.

"What do you have in there?" Newt turned to look at me and I knew he was excited.

"Kaiju organs!" Before he could continue on, Pentecost began the formal introductions. To be honest I truly found Newt and Dr. Gottlieb a comic relief. They often bickered like an old married couple, but they got serious research done. Raleigh and Newt were engaged in a conversation about the Kaiju sleeve Newt had.

"Well, my brother and I took it down in 2017… Cut its head off if I remember correctly." Newt went wide eyed. Raleigh turned to look at Mako and I. Almost as if to see a reaction. I just stared at Yamarashi on Newt's arm. Newt continued to ramble. He was fascinated with the Kaiju. To a certain degree I could understand his interest in them. No one could've ever imagined these creatures to walk the earth. To our relief, the elevator door finally opened and Pentecost escorted Raleigh out. Mako and I just followed along. We continued to walk down the hallway. I got lost in my own thoughts, but I heard Pentecost's final words.

"We are not an army anymore, Mr. Becket. We're the resistance." I felt a chill go down my spine. This was it. It began to sink in that this was fight or flight. Mako had left my side and went ahead to press the code to open the doors.

"Welcome to the Shatterdome."


	2. Average

I was certain that Raleigh was not fully shocked. He had probably seen a variety of Shatterdomes. We continue walking further in and the first thing that caught my eye was the ominous flip-clock. It was a constant reminder of our limited time. It reminded us how limited and fragile we were. Or at least it did that to me. Pentecost pointed it out to Raleigh.

"War clock. We reset it after every Kaiju attack. Helps keep everyone focused on a common goal." Pentecost continued to lead us to the raised portion of the Shatterdome where we could see the maintenance bays and deployment tracks.

"This complex was able to hold six Jaegers. There were also seven other Shatterdomes. Those Shatterdomes are out, and we are left with four Jaegers." Pentecost said this and looked to Raleigh.

"Is it really that bad?"

"It is." As simple as that Pentecost answered the question. We passed Crimson Typhoon, it was a beauty. Well to me all Jaegers were. The uniqueness of Typhoon always catches my attention.

"It's piloted by the Wei Clan. Triplets who successfully Drifted and use the Thundercloud formation effectively." Raleigh continued to absorb Pentecost's words, but also the numerous things surrounding him. The Wei triplets were playing more than just your regular game of basketball. It was entertaining to watch them play and I noticed it caught Raleigh's eye. We passed Cherno Alpha and Sasha and Aleksis Kaidanovsky. It was quite normal to see them working together while listening to their loud music. It was not my favorite genre, but if it floats their boat I say let them be. The triplets didn't enjoy it and I knew Mako didn't either but she never said anything about it. We finally made it to Striker Eureka; the only surviving Jaeger from Australia.

"He's the first of the Mark V's" Raleigh was surprised to hear my voice instead of Pentecost's.

"He's a fast one." I looked at Striker and all the crew members cleaning her up. I noticed Herc and Chuck observing them from a comfortable distance. Pentecost asked if Raleigh knew them and stated the dog's name was Max. Pentecost began telling him about the plan to nuke the Breach. I looked at Raleigh's expression; I knew a million questions were running through his mind. Raleigh turned to look at Mako, as if to get something from her but she remained unfazed. We went down some stairs when I noticed Chuck was throwing a ball at Max. It was in those moments Chuck spent with Max that you can see a glimpse of his softer side. Instead of Max retrieving the ball, he came straight to Mako. He hadn't seen me. Mako leaned down to pet him.

"Who's a good boy?" I cooed and Max came running toward me. I bent down and began petting him. He turned on his back and asked for his daily belly rub.

"Hey Max! I hope you didn't drool on Miss Mori and Miss Hidalgo." Herc looked up at Mako and I and gave us a small shrug.

"He sees pretty girls and gets all excited." I laughed while Mako smiled slightly. Introductions were made and I learned that Raleigh actually rode together with Herc. While they were talking Chuck whistled and Max went running back to his master. He was giving Raleigh a cold look. He didn't even come to grace us with his lovely presence. I noticed Max's ball was still near us. I picked it up and walked over to Chuck and Max. I kneeled on the floor and rolled the ball to Max which he happily received. I felt Chuck's gaze on me and it began to make me feel uncomfortable. I got up from the floor and was going to head back to where the others were. I hadn't realized I caused a spectacle, because I saw them glancing in my direction. I was going to start walking back when I heard a voice.

"Mexico, I want Striker checked out after these men are done. Got it." I was not going to let him talk to me as if I was inferior. I usually kept my calm, but Hansen knew how to make me want to punch a wall. I turned around slowly and came face-to-face with a smug Chuck.

"First of all, I have a name. Second, there's a thing called manners. You might want to check up on that. It won't kill you to say Please or Thank You."

"Isn't that what you're here for, to take orders from your superiors?" I stepped closer to him. He was testing my patience today.

"I don't take orders from those who don't know a thing about respect. Before you even speak, I don't care if you defeated so-and-so Kaiju. To get respect you need to give it. Stop acting like you're the king of this place. You wouldn't be the so-called hero you are without the men and women who work here." With that I turned around and walked back to Pentecost. I noticed everyone had wide-eyes. Even the crew members had heard. I cleared my throat and looked down. Luckily, Pentecost spoke and eased the awkwardness.

"Sergeant Hansen, shall we?" Herc understood and spoke once more.

"Good to have you back Raleigh." With that we proceeded forward. I stayed in the far back. Despite the fact that I had just made a bold move, I felt slightly regretful. I always told myself to be patient with people, but a person can only take so much. I rubbed my temples, and continued walking.

(Raleigh's POV)

I didn't think the petite girl before me had it in her. She defended herself against Chuck. He was a man who looked nothing short of an asshole. I seriously believed she was just going to submit to his demand. There's more to her and Mako than meets the eye. They both seemed to have something lingering over them. It's been awhile since I've been around women, but they're just as unreadable as I remember them to be. I turned around slightly and noticed Miss Hidalgo rubbing her head. She was the same height as Mako, same dark brown color but it was longer since her braid ended slightly below her shoulders. Taking in the fact that Chuck had called her 'Mexico' she probably was of Mexican descent. Her lightly tanned skin and big brown eyes backed that up, but those were only assumptions. Right now I didn't see the welcoming woman from before, I saw someone who appeared to be over-thinking everything. I took my thoughts away from her and remembered what Pentecost had mentioned before.

"Sir, about the bomb run." I waited for a response but none was given.

"It isn't going to work. We've hit the Breach before and nothing goes through." There was still no response except for Pentecost's footsteps. Herc broke the silence instead.

"What's changed?" Only then did Pentecost turn around and looked at Herc. They seemed to have passed something along only by looking at one another, and I had no way of understanding.

"We have a plan. Operation: Pitfall. I need you ready." He gave me a final look and then turned to Mako and Meztli.

"Miss Mori and Hidalgo will show you to your Jaeger. We'll reconvene shortly." The words "Your Jaeger" stirred something inside of me. It hit the depths of my soul that once was a Ranger. Who knows maybe it was time to start again. Once Pentecost left I turned to see Mako ahead of me. She's been so quiet the whole time, there must be something she's dying to say. Behind me Meztli was just looking around, almost as if to check if everything was in place. The silence was interrupted by a pair of heavy footsteps coming our way. Before I could react Meztli was lifted off the ground and spun around. She had kept her cool, but her face clearly demonstrated she was shocked. Once she was on the ground again I noticed an annoyed look on her face. I saw a man about my age and height. His slim face had a wide grin on it.

"I heard my baby sister just told Chuck off." His grin still plastered on his face. I moved my gaze back to Meztli.

"Don't tell me you heard about that too…" She sighed and her shoulders slumped.

"What are you so disappointed about Mez? That just goes to show how bad-ass you really are." She shook her head.

"We'll talk about this later; I have to show our Ranger his Jaeger." He then looked at me and his expression became more serious.

"It's an honor to meet you, Raleigh Becket." This guy was very chill and his relaxed nature was a contrast to the tense aura in the Shatterdome. He had has hand extended and I shook it. I turned to look at Meztli, expecting an introduction.

"This is my brother, Alex Hidalgo."

"You're really going to love the Jaeger's man. Makes and Mez really know how to get things done." He had nicknames for both Mako and Meztli. I could tell he was a goof-ball.

"So I'm hearing. I can't wait to see her."

"Maybe once she sees you interact with your Jaeger, Mez will remember what it's like to be a-" His sentence was interrupted by Meztli's coughing fit. She eventually stopped and her brother gave her a look.

"I think Mako has waited long enough. We should get going. I'll talk to you later Alex."

She gave him one last look and Alex looked down. It was a silent conversation. It reminded me of the connection I shared with Yancy. Meztli turned around and I shot Alex a small wave. There was something that Meztli was hiding and Alex wanted desperately for someone to help her.

(Meztli's POV)

I couldn't believe Alex was going to tell Raleigh I once piloted a Jaeger. I walked up to Mako and gave her an apologetic look. She understood and told me it was alright. We continued walking until we reached the site where crew members were busy welding, cutting, etc. I turned to look at Raleigh, but his gaze was fixated on Gipsy. She was beautiful, and looked brand new compared to her old state. I kept my eyes on him longer than I should, but there was something in his expression. It was almost as if time came rushing back to him and began again. He was in what seemed to be a combination of awe and apprehensiveness.

"She looks like new." I smiled when he finally spoke.

"Better than new." Mako said. "She's one of a kind." It seemed like she was going to continue, but a familiar voice finished off.

"Solid iron hull," We all turned around to face Tendo Choi, a huge grin on his face.

"She has no alloys, and 40 engine blocks per muscle strand." He continued to describe her in detail as he walked closer to us.

"And these two wonderful ladies at your side oversaw it." He pointed at us and smiled. Raleigh and Tendo then embraced and the brotherly welcome back was initiated. They began the catching up and Tendo informed him that he was no longer a single-man, but a father and husband. Tendo then became concerned.

"The Drift's going to stir a lot up. Are you sure you're ready for this?" I figured this was an uncomfortable subject and I did my best to look anywhere but Raleigh's face. Instead I looked at Gipsy and in the far corner I spotted Aguila. One look was all it took to bring back a lot. She too had been made new. After my parent's death and the incident there were a lot of repairs done. She glistened, almost as if beckoning me. I shook my head and turned around.

"I should unpack." With those final words Tendo understood Raleigh needed some time to himself. They said their goodbye and Mako and I were to show him to his room. Mako's room was across from his, while mine was next door to Mako's and across from me was my brother's room. There would be no way to avoid interaction unless we never stepped out of our rooms. Once Raleigh dropped his duffel on the bed, Mako spoke.

"If you need anything, Meztli and I are across the hall." He looked slightly weary, but I had to inform him about tomorrow's process.

"My brother is also next door in case you'd rather hear from him. Tomorrow at six hundred hours you'll meet the candidates. Mako and I did our best to match them to your Drift pattern." I saw a flash of doubt in his expression.

"You did?" He was busy getting himself organized while Mako and I stood at the doorway.

"Meztli and I did, Mr. Becket." Mako had spoken and he placed the duffel on the side after the contents were removed.

"So what are your stories? Restoring old Jaegers for combat, showing all the has-beens like me around…there's more to it…right?" I felt it was time to go back to my room, but I didn't want to leave Mako alone in this situation. She looked up at him but said nothing, but I noticed her grip on the pad she carried tightened. He continued to place items in the drawers.

"Are you pilots?" I nearly scoffed, in my case I was far from being one. Mako on the other hand, she was more than ready.

"No, not yet. But I want to be one. More than anything…" I looked outside to the hallway.

"I want to be one." She finished off her statement. I smiled. If anyone deserved to pilot a Jaeger it was Mako.

"And you?" I realized that question was aimed at me. I looked at him and he was awaiting a response.

"I'm just your average Jaeger technician. Part time researcher in the lab…but that's on rare occasion. And if you have injuries, I'm the girl to tend them. " Something inside me wanted to retake those words. It was a response I trained myself to state. In all honesty I was just confused. One day I'd look at the Jaegers and wished nothing more than to pilot one; and another I'd look at one and admire it but nothing more. Mako shifted next to me and I saw Raleigh give me a confused look. It was almost as if he didn't believe everything I said.

"Well, I should get going. Get a good night's rest and all the best for tomorrow Raleigh." Before they could say anything I walked out and made my way to Striker Eureka. I wasn't going to check on him because of Chuck. I loved working on the Jaegers and I personally did it for Herc rather than Chuck. It was around 10 p.m. and I knew some of the dedicated workers would still be fixing the Jaegers. Once I was in front of Striker I walked up the steps to reach the top. I dismissed the workers and told them I'd do the final check. Once they had left I touched Striker's head.

"You're a tough one. Let's see how the workers cleaned you up." It was probably weird of me, but when you live amongst this machinery you begin to think they have feelings as well. I talk to every single one of the Jaegers. I went to the edge of a railing and allowed myself to hang upside down by holding on with my legs. I was dangling, but I could see more clearly doing this. I had a flashlight and began inspecting every inch of Striker.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing?!" I was taken by surprise and dropped my flashlight; I quickly lifted myself up and went back on the walkway. I looked down only to see the person I wanted to see least. I walked downstairs to retrieve my flashlight. Once I reached the bottom Chuck was there with my flashlight in his gloved hand.

"So you did listen to your orders." A smirk was on his face.

"I'm not doing it because of you. I'm doing it for your father and Striker." I went to grab my flashlight from his hand but he lifted it up above his head. He was teasing me now.

"Uh-uh. Be a good girl and use your manners." I had no time for this, I simply began walking away.

"I'll finish her check-up tomorrow." I didn't hear a single word, but footsteps. I was taken aback when Chuck turned me around and handed me my flashlight. I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Finish the check-up." I placed the flashlight in my pocket and went back to the highest platform. I continue moving down as I checked every inch of Striker. I would always find a place to hang from in order to see the nooks and crannies. I could hear music coming from where Chuck was. Chuck hadn't said a word. Instead there was the sound of a wrenches moving, footsteps and music. Once I had made it to the bottom I walked up to Chuck who was tightening a bolt.

"He's all good." He looked up at me and then at Striker.

"A word of advice Chuck, you might want to start appreciating what you have before it's gone." With that I walked away from him and made my way to the gym. I always worked out before going to bed. I didn't leave the area without hearing in the distance Chuck's final statement.

"Funny Mexico, I was going to say the same damn thing to you."

Thanks for the follows and favorites! I know I made Chuck slightly out of character, but I honestly feel that he's more sensible when around Striker and Max.


	3. Compatibility

What did Chuck mean by that? Was he referring to my brother? I have been holding him back for too long. There was no one he was as Drift Compatible as he was with me. I felt angry at myself. My throat began to choke up and I felt weak. I walked quickly to the gym area, thankfully no one was here. Most were already sleeping, but since I suffered from insomnia I was up for running and lifting weights at 1 a.m. I went to the locker area and took off my long sleeved shirt. Leaving on my white tank-top, I removed my boots and realized I had left my running sneakers in my room. I put my boots back on and noticed the hanbō in the corner. I went toward it and stared at my reflection in the mirror in front of me that stretched across the room. I positioned myself and bowed as if commencing a battle with myself. I began with simple moves. Ones the Pentecost and my brother had showed me when I was 13. They said I was an apt learner. I began remembering the time my brother and I fought with each other, I was 14 and he had been 19 at the time. We expected each other's moves, although he was slightly more aggressive. That was the purpose of this activity. It was to test compatibility, not who was stronger. I closed my eyes and began to lose myself in the moves. The only difference between my brother and I was that I was more tranquil. It was a dance for me. I sensed a presence in the room and I instantly moved the hanbō toward the intruder.

"Whoa there!" I opened my eyes and saw Raleigh in front of me with his arms up, my hanbō nearly touching his neck. I instantly dropped my weapon. What was he doing here? I hadn't noticed that my leg was also twisted around his lower leg. I was ready to knock him down. Everything was instinct. I removed my leg from his and looked down embarrassed. I hope he hadn't seen me practicing.

"You have sick moves for a Jaeger technician." He had his arms crossed and a playful smirk was on his face; like he just found out who was stealing the cookies from the jar.

"You should be sleeping. Tomorrow's the big day." I went to pick up the hanbō and place it where it belonged.

"Same thing applies to you. Yet, you're here." He paused.

"Don't tell me those moves came out of the blue. Those looked like moves a Ranger learns when training and then some." I turned to look at him.

"Well, you pick things up when you're among all these Rangers." He looked amused by my response. I didn't like where this was going.

"Right…"

"Look, I came here at a young age. My brother joined when he was 18 and I was only 13, it's only logical that I pick up some moves when I've been here for eight years already." I had revealed a lot more than I should have. I saw a flash in his eyes, and I assumed he already made a connection.

"My parents, Viviana and Javier Hidalgo battled a Kaiju in Mexico back in 2016." I felt a lump in my throat, but did my best to stop myself from re-living that day. He remained quiet, but spoke again.

"I know that saying I'm sorry for your loss isn't going to bring them back, but if there's anything you need don't hesitate to ask for help." I looked up at him in shock.

"Thank you." He was very sincere and that's when I noticed he was staring at my wrist. _Shit. _I had forgotten to cover up one of the scars I received when Alex and I battled the Kaiju. My first and last battle. The scars ran up to my elbow. Three hideous reminders.

"Those scars come from battling Kaijus." There was no use in trying to conceal them or lie about their origin. He knew.

"I think it's getting pretty late. I should hit the sack, and you should too." I went to the locker room and grabbed my long sleeved shirt. I put it back on and walked out. He knew better than to persist on the matter. He had already learned more about me. More than I wanted him too.

(Next Morning)

I had knocked out as soon as I got to my room. Too much happened in one day. I woke up and went to take a shower. The cool water awakening all my senses and making me feel rejuvenated, despite the fact I slept for four hours. I got out and dried my hair, putting on the usual outfit. I decided to leave my hair down, it flowed only a little bit past my shoulders. It used to flow down to my mid back, but after the battle with the Kaiju, I decided to chop most of it off. It was a way of trying to let go of the past. I never wore too much make-up, Mako and I always liked to stick to our trusty eyeliner and lip-color. It made us look more awake. I stepped out of my room and walked to the Mess Hall.

(Raleigh's POV)

I was at the Mess Hall by 5:30 a.m. I made sure to get a quick bite before the fight. I wasn't a big breakfast eater, but I couldn't battle on an empty stomach. Something light would do me good. I felt like I was back in High School. Despite being early, everyone was already situated in the spots they had unofficially declared their own. I didn't spot Mako or Meztli for that matter. I was going to sit at an empty table, but I heard Herc call me.

"Raleigh! Come with us. Plenty of food on our table." I stared at Herc's plate and realized it was divine food compared to the crap I got in Alaska. Right when I was going to sit, I noticed Meztli come out of the serving area, a mere apple and grapes on her tray. We had accidently made eye contact, and she instantly looked down. She too looked like she was struggling to find a place to sit. I turned to Herc, and he noticed Meztli as well. She was about to walk away, but I called out.

"Hey Meztli, over here!" I could sense minor agitation, but she made her way over to an empty seat next to Herc. Of course she wouldn't sit next to me.

"Good Morning Herc." She smiled at him and then turned to me.

"Good Morning." No smile present on her face.

"I haven't seen bread in a long time." I picked up a piece from Herc's plate and it was warm too! My mouth began to water.

"Hong Kong. The beauty of living in a port. There is no rationing." He then turned to look at Chuck.

"This is my son, Chuck. He's my co-pilot now." I nodded and I remembered how Chuck didn't bother coming over to us last night. This was a reintroduction. I felt Max underneath the table looking for scraps. I turned to Chuck, and he looked disinterested.

"He's _my_ co-pilot." Well wasn't he charming? I noticed Meztli was moving her grape around with her fork. He started talking to his father, ignoring me.

"That's the guy whose supposed to run defense?" He then turned to Meztli.

"Mexico, you better have chosen some good candidates. He isn't going to cut it." I was getting tired of him calling her that.

"She has a name. It sure isn't Mexico." I noticed Meztli look up from her plate. She moved her gaze to Chuck.

"I'll call her whatever the hell I want to. She responds to it anyway." He smirked, it was getting awfully annoying.

"Enough." I turned to see Meztli had spoken.

"It's not like a care what comes out of the mouth of a jack-ass." Once again I was surprised by her boldness. I had a feeling she didn't like being defended. I noticed Chuck's grip on his cup tighten.

"When was the last time you jockeyed, Ray?" Ray? Now he nicknamed me too.

"Five years."

"And what did you do those five years? Something pretty important, I reckon."

"I was in construction." I was awaiting the shit that Chuck was going to give me. Nothing new, I always got it no matter where I went.

"Oh, well…that's just fabulous." Sarcasm dripped out of every word. He was looking toward his crew, waiting for them to join in. They didn't. I drowned out his statement after that. Then he was looking straight at me.

"You're Pentecost's idea, and my old man seems to like you, but from where I'm sitting, you're a liability. You slow me down, I'm going to drop you like a sack of Kaiju shit." With that he got up and stepped away from the table. "Enjoy the rest of your vacation here. Ray." With a whistle he got Max to scramble out of the table to follow him. That's when I noticed Meztli had finished eating and Herc cleared his throat.

"You can blame me. I raised him, but I never knew whether to hug him or give him a kick in the ass." I finished chewing.

"With all due respect, I'm pretty sure which one he needs." I noticed Meztli trying to suppress a laugh. She had to deal with him more; she had a lot of patience because if I were her I would've given him a punch in the face already. Meztli got up.

"Thank you for allowing me to sit here. I best get going." With that she got up and walked toward the dishwashing station. She walked with a certain grace. Her steps were almost too light and she was swift. I shook my head and finished up. I had to get ready.

(Meztli's POV)

I assumed Mako was at Pentecost's office. I really hope he listened to her. She had all the requirements to become a skilled Ranger. When I caught up to her I began my questioning.

"How'd it go?" She looked at me and shook her head in disappointment.

"Mako, he'll turn around." I smiled at her and she returned it. We made our way to finish the preparations for the trial.

"Meztli, do you plan on piloting again?" Only Mako and my brother knew how I truly felt about piloting again. I looked straight ahead.

"Mako, I don't know. I wish I could answer that." She stopped and looked at me.

"Meztli, you and I know you are more than capable. I mean you were good when you were 17! Now you're even more ready. We both have 51 drops and kills. You could easily be a candidate for Raleigh." I laughed lightly.

"Mako, if and I mean a big if, I would pilot again it would be alongside my brother. I don't think I can with anyone else." She sighed. We moved along dropping the subject.

Everything was in check once we arrived. The candidates were ready and I saw Raleigh bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting for the event to start. My brother was in the far corner. He smiled at me and I returned it. I was beside Mako, and behind us stood Pentecost. He was as stiff as ever. We nodded at Raleigh and he stepped onto the mat. The first match began. Mako was writing everything down, while I merely observed. Numero Uno was being too brash. Raleigh knew to use that to his advantage. Raleigh got all five points and Number One stepped out. I noticed Mako was slightly annoyed. Number Two went, and no surprise Raleigh had also got his points, but now Mako was even more critical. I noticed Raleigh getting bored by the time Number Three stepped on the mat. He allowed him to make some points.

"Hey. Do you not like them?" Raleigh was looking straight at Mako, since she was the only one making remarks.

"Excuse me?"

"Every time a match ends you make this little…" Raleigh proceeded to mimic the face Mako had done. "You're being critical on their performance." I let out a small laugh and he glared at me.

"Anything I should know Miss Hidalgo?" I stopped smiling, and I knew there was a double meaning behind his remark.

"Frankly, it's not their performance…" Mako continued "It's yours. You could have taken all of them two moves earlier." He looked slightly taken a back, and in my head I gave Mako a high-five. She was speaking her mind.

"Two, huh? You think so?" Mako held his gaze. I could tell she was ready to fight.

"I know so." Mako replied sassily. "Your choices, they are not poor, but they're adequate." He simply nodded.

"You know what? Let's change this up." He looked at Pentecost. What in the world was he going to do?

"How about we give her a shot?" Mako was taken by surprise.

"While we're at that, why don't we allow Miss Hidalgo to battle as well? She can show us some of her moves." I gave him a glare, he crossed the line. I was going to say something, but Pentecost beat me.

"We stick to the cadet list we have. Only candidates with Drift compatibility…" Mako had cut him off. She spoke in Japanese, knowing Raleigh and I understood.

"This isn't about neural connection, it's about physical compatibility. Instinctive responsiveness." Pentecost said as if lecturing her.

"What's wrong? Don't you think your brightest can cut it in the ring with me?" Mako, Raleigh and I turned to look at Pentecost. He then extended his hand out toward Mako. She was allowed in. As she prepared, he looked at me.

"What about Hidalgo?" He was being persistent.

"Miss Hidalgo will not fight with you, but with her brother." Pentecost actually agreed to his request. I sighed. I looked at Alex and noticed that stupid grin on his face. He wanted this more than anything. My battle was to begin after Raleigh's and Mako's battle.

….

The battle was fascinating. There was no doubt that Mako was going to be the best co-pilot for Raleigh. Seeing them reminded me of the fights I had with my brother. I felt a bit envious of Mako's determination. They're battle was a dance. They complimented each other.

"Enough." Pentecost had stopped the show.

"I've seen what I needed to see."

"Me too," Raleigh said. "She's my co-pilot." Pentecost simply shook his head and turned the spotlight to me.

"Hidalgo siblings step up." I felt my stomach drop. The queasiness was back. To make matters worse the candidates were still there and Chuck was still in the far back observing. There was no avoiding this. I removed my boots and long sleeved shirt. I felt naked. I heard small gasps behind me, the newbies weren't aware that I had once piloted. I looked at my brother who was removing his boots; I didn't want him to remove his long-sleeved shirt. When he did I saw the even larger scars on his left arm. Only I knew that those scars ran across his back. Bitter memories came back. I looked away. I bit my lip, and started tapping my foot. A habit I had when I was nervous. I caught a glimpse of Raleigh's face. I could see he was regretting putting me on the spot.

"Well Sis, we haven't done this in a while but let's give them one hell of a show." I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. I did my best to concentrate; there was only darkness and silence. I felt myself relax. I positioned myself. I knew my brother would commence. I felt his presence and we began. I kept my eyes closed. I let my other senses take over and it felt natural to move my legs and twirl the hanbō. We anticipated each other's moves; I knew we were using the whole mat. We hadn't lost our connection one bit. I felt like I was gliding. I felt the need to get a point so I twirled and I knew the hanbō was almost touching his face. A wave of confidence came in. I smirked.

"1-0, C'mon, don't tell me you're too old now."

"Always with your fancy foot work Mez." I always incorporated some type of dance into my fighting. It made me more agile. I was going to jump but he caught me and brought me to the mat. I felt the hanbō on my face. "1-1, Mez."

"Enough. That is what I call compatibility." I opened my eyes and my brother stuck his hand out to lift me up. There was a glow to him.

"You have no idea how proud I am of you Mez." I turned to look at Pentecost. He wasn't smiling, but I could tell he was relieved. Raleigh had a look I couldn't quite tag with an emotion. Mako was smiling at me as well. She knew it took a lot for me to get up on the mat. I noticed Chuck had left the room. Pentecost regained our attention by clearing his throat.

"Raleigh, Miss Mori will not be your co-pilot. It's not going to work." I was completely shocked by his response.

"Why not?" Raleigh was questioning him. "You think my brother and I didn't go at it? He pissed me off faster than anyone I ever knew, but we had energy out there. She has it too." This was hard on Raleigh. There was desperation in his voice.

"Miss Mori is not a candidate."

"Report to the Shatterdome in two hours to meet your co-pilot." With that being said Pentecost left the Kwoon. Everyone had left the room except for Alex, Raleigh, Mako and I. Mako was staring intensely at the spot Pentecost once stood. I hoped Pentecost was not going to reconsider putting us in Aguila. Mako then walked out swiftly. It finally sank in that I had just done the one thing I wanted to avoid. I looked at the scars on Alex's arms and all I could think of was the coma I placed him in. The death I could've been responsible for. My head began to pound.

"I need to get fresh air." I sighed and put my boots on and shirt. I wanted to get out of the Dome.

(Alex's POV)

I knew Mez, and I know she needed her time alone. I was unhappy about Pentecost's decision with Mako. She deserved to pilot.

"I take it; you and Meztli have fought Kaiju before?" He was staring at my scars. I know he'd seen Meztli's as well.

"Four years ago. We fought and killed one Kaiju only." He wanted me to continue speaking. It felt odd telling someone else what happened, but I could tell Raleigh was genuinely concerned.

"Mez was seventeen, when we were on Aguila. It was our parent's Jaeger. Pentecost had allowed us to go destroy the Kaiju because we showed so much potential. I needed a co-pilot, and my sister was the best candidate. Hands down. You know, I would remember seeing her spend countless hours in the gym practicing her moves and exercising. She was committed. After our parents died, she became more reserved. We were forced to grow up. Pentecost saw Meztli's determination, and he allowed her to train beside me. A lot of people gave her shit. They criticized the system and Meztli." Raleigh seemed to be deep in thought.

"We suited up and everything was going great. When we drifted, we both saw how much our parent's death affected us. She always put up a mask, but when we drifted I saw everything. Felt all the pain. The neural handshake was outstanding though. We didn't chase the rabbit. Everyone was shocked, especially since it was our first time. Adrenaline kicked in and it was such an amazing feeling. Once we were face-to-face with the Kaiju I felt something wrong. Mez was in a state of shock. She was paralyzed. All she kept replaying was the day of our parent's death. The scar on her arm was given to her by the Kaiju. The pain made her react, but I noticed she was out of it. We continued fighting, but I knew something was up with her. We gave him our hardest punches, kicks, attacks. When we thought he was nearly dead we were going to make our final attack. The Kaiju was quicker than us and he tore through Aguila's head like it was nothing. He slashed my side. He had damaged vital organs and I felt myself slowly dying. I don't know how Meztli did it, but she managed to make the final attack on her own. All I remember was hearing her cries and I blacked out." I glanced at my scars.

"I was in a coma for about three weeks. The neural damage was overwhelming and my lungs were damaged badly. I'm alive by miracle, but from that day on Meztli lived in fear and remorse. Even if we aren't connected anymore, I can easily sense it." We were in silence for a while.

"I can understand her." I looked up at him puzzled.

"I can't even begin to describe the void that fills your soul when you feel your co-pilot, let alone sibling start dying. She was only 17…"

"Do you want to pilot a Jaeger again?" His question surprised me.

"More than anything…but I wouldn't do it if it caused my sister pain. If you want my honest opinion though, it's hurting her even more to not be a pilot. Even my parents knew she was going to do great things." I smiled to myself. I felt it was time to head back to my room.

"Thanks for listening to me, man."


	4. Waking up to Ash and Dust

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…..

I had stepped out of the Dome for a bit. Looking out at the sea gave me mixed feelings. What I once admired and was fascinated by now made me feel uncertain and fearful. The fresh air did me some good. I headed back to my room quickly. I wanted to talk to Mako, but I decided to let her have her own time as well. Pentecost was being over-protective of her. I knew Mako wanted nothing more than to prove herself to Pentecost and the others. Everyone would always assume she got treated better because Pentecost had taken her under his wing. Mako earned all her respect. I heard Tendo's voice on the intercom.

"All crews ready for Gipsy Danger neural test!" Oh boy. I didn't know what to expect. I knew that Alex was going to head straight over there. My few minutes of relaxation were interrupted by a knock. I got up and opened the door, it was Pentecost.

"Aren't you going to witness Gipsy's reawakening?"

"Yes sir, I wouldn't miss it."

He simply nodded and walked away. Something was different about his step. I noticed all these slight changes because I've been around him for so long. I could tell when he was upset, overburdened, amused, etc. Right now, I couldn't describe what exactly was different about Pentecost, but there was a change. I made my way over to the command Mezzanine. When I arrived, Tendo was assisting Raleigh.

"The suits are different from the ones you used five years ago. How does it feel?" Raleigh turned around surprised to hear my voice.

"Well it's definitely sleeker. The all black is cool too." I smiled a bit. When he had his drive suit fully on I came up to him and double checked everything was good to go. Before he walked away I grabbed his arm.

"Uh…Good luck, she missed you…" I don't know why I felt so shy all of a sudden. I felt my cheeks burn up. He was going to turn around, but I spoke again.

"Thanks."

"For what?" I crossed my arms.

"If it weren't for your stupid input during the combat…" I wanted to say something, but the right words didn't process in my mind.

"Just…thanks." He smiled and this time I let him walk away. I really hope everything goes well. Tendo turned to look at me with a smirk on his lips.

"We're gonna really see how much you helped fix Gipsy up." I was getting excited now. I felt goosebumps form.

"Good to go. Can you hear me Tendo?" Raleigh's voice came in through Tendo's earpiece. Everything needed to be checked today. Communications were good.

"Five by five." Tendo responded to Raleigh. He was a lover of outdated slang. I couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Okay then…So am I piloting this thing by myself or…?" I also was wondering who was going to be his co-pilot.

"Look behind you." Tendo said. I also took the direction and through the screen I saw Mako emerge all suited up. My mouth went open. I couldn't contain my happiness.

"Atta girl!" Even through the screen I could see the shock on Raleigh's face.

"Mako looks nice right?" I turned around to face Alex.

"Yeah… she's rocking it."

Pentecost then looked down at them.

"Engage the drop, Mr. Choi."

"Engaging drop." Tendo had pressed a few buttons and before my eyes the massive Jaeger head jerked. A series of clangs and booms echoed. The head had reached the shoulders. Gipsy was online.

"Lining up nicely. Get ready." Tendo continued to monitor everything. I heard Raleigh's voice.

"Good job on my old girl." I know his comment was directed toward Mako and I. I didn't respond but Mako did.

"Mr. Choi was the leader of the project." I took my attention away from the conversation and Gottlieb came storming into the Mezzanine. He looked paler than usual. He called for Pentecost. Whatever Gottlieb told Pentecost, it grabbed his attention. He swiftly turned around to face us.

"Herc you're in command, Tendo proceed without me."

"Yes, sir." Before the doors closed, Chuck came barging in. He came walking over to the very front pushing me out of the way. I would've said something if this wasn't such a crucial event.

"Rangers, three minutes to neural bridge calibration." Herc then went next to Tendo and spoke.

"All we are looking for today is neural handshake, and some baby steps. No pressure." Herc backed away a bit. Chuck was right behind him smirking.

"We should sell tickets to this. It's gonna be a barrel of laughs." I turned to look at him and gave him the dirtiest look I could. Everyone was watching them. Tendo began his countdown.

"Initiating neural handshake in ten…nine…" I began getting nervous. It reminded me of the first time I piloted.

"One…" Eventually Gipsy Danger was lifting her right arm. I was clapping to myself. C'mon guys! Cheers were heard coming from the assembled crews and tech.

"Neural handshake one hundred percent. Holding strong and steady." Tendo's words eased the nervousness.

"At least he remembers how to turn it on." Chuck said. "It's the driving part I'm more concerned about."

"Show some respect." Herc continued. "When his brother died, he got the Jaeger back to shore. On his own. Only know another pilot who was able to do that." Chuck didn't respond he simply glared at him. My attention went back to Gipsy. She was moving according to the prescribed initial move set, and beautifully. Call it a sixth sense or weirdness, but I knew Gipsy felt happy to have Raleigh back on, and she was welcoming him. A few minutes passed and no real movement occurred. That's when I noticed the neural handshake display was showing some distortion. I turned away from the screen and prayed Mako and Raleigh were feeling okay. I could hear Gipsy moving and I turned back to see her moving in spasms. As if she was fighting an invisible Kaiju. Please don't chase the rabbit.

"You are both out of alignment!" Tendo shouted. Now everyone was beginning to back away. I could hear an alarm in the distance. I could hear Raleigh trying to soothe Mako. I could see in the Conn-Pod, Mako had raised her arms. On the screen "WEAPON SYSTEM ENGAGED." Tendo scrambled off his seat. None of us left the mezzanine yet. The crews began to scatter. The windows of the command mezzanine were shaking from the storm in the Shatterdome. Tendo began telling everyone to get out. My feet were glued to the ground. Alex hadn't moved either. Herc asked Alex to haul out all the heavy conduits. I stared out…those plasma cannons were fully charged.

"Come on Raleigh, Mako…" I began helping the guys out by tearing the cables out. Pentecost rushed in.

"Take them offline!" I hint of desperation in his authoritative voice. As they continued removing cables, I noticed Gipsy swiveled to position the plasma cannon at the LOCCENT. She halted. Her lights began to fade until they died. I let go of the breath I was holding in. I went running down alongside Pentecost. It was eerily quiet. I spotted Chuck. He actually stayed? He looked up at Gipsy with pure disgust. His jaw was tight and his mouth twisted. I ignored him and walked closer to Gipsy. By now Raleigh was aware of everything Mako had gone through. There was only silence, but Pentecost stormed back to the Mezzanine. I looked up at Gipsy. She had responded to Mako's fear. I was going to wait here until they emerged out. I knew Chuck had left because his heavy footsteps faded off. I was the only one here. Several minutes passed and they still weren't out. I heard my brother from behind me.

"Hey…Go up to the mezzanine, they'll be there."

Without hesitation I made my way up and that's when I saw Raleigh with Mako leaning on his arm. She looked stunned. Raleigh saw me, but looked away almost immediately. I took it as a signal that he wanted to be left alone. I looked to the floor and walked out. I walked around the direction to Pentecost's office. I had walked slowly just to let everything that had happened sink in. I by no means thought it was anyone's fault. Both Raleigh and Mako had some intense memories. I heard shouting in the distance. I went running over to where it was coming from. Raleigh, Mako and Chuck were close to Pentecost's office. Raleigh and Chuck were face-to-face.

"Looks like you heard me." Chuck said. His nose was dangerously close to Raleigh's.

"Good. Saves me from repeating myself." He was staring Raleigh down. There was no way of avoiding a fight. They both wanted it. Heck, I could even see Mako form her offensive stance. I stepped a little closer to the scene, but they still hadn't noticed me.

"It's been five years since you jockeyed! That's a bloody lifetime in Jaeger tech and you know it. And here's the thing, I actually want to come back from this mission. I want a_ life._"

His last statement made me shiver. Despite the fact he was unbearable a majority of the time, he was human. He too suffered so much and his innocence was torn away from him. None of us had a chance to live an even close to "normal" life. However, it gave him no right to take it out on others.

His finger was pointed at Raleigh.

"So, do us all a favor and disappear, yeah." He didn't end it there. "It's the only thing you're good at."

"Enough!" I finally blurted out. The three turned to look at me.

"Who in the hell would defend you on the mission if he was to leave?" Chuck was glooming over me now, and unlike Raleigh I had to look up at him. That didn't mean I was going to let him step over me. I felt Mako move closer to us. That's when Raleigh put his hands on both of our shoulders. He was attempting to calm us down.

"That's right, hold your girlfriends back; both your bitches need leashes." Before I could throw a punch at his face, Raleigh's fist collided with his face. Chuck was not made of glass; he instantly regained his composure and hit Raleigh back. I knew better than to step in, this wasn't my fight, yet. The full out brawl created a spectacle, it seemed like everyone was expecting this to happen. The series of punches continued. By now blood was dripping out of both their noses, and plenty of bruises were forming. Raleigh eventually drove Chuck into the wall. Chuck probably got the wind knocked out of him, but that didn't stop him from throwing punches. Again the sound of being slammed into the wall resonated. Raleigh was twisting his arm. One small pull and it would pop out of the socket. I rushed over to Raleigh and Chuck. I removed Raleigh's arm from his grip. He probably thought I was going to help Chuck. Not quite. I turned to look at the bloody Chuck. I looked at him and got close to his face.

"This bitch runs without a leash." With that I gave him one swift punch in the face. Despite being utterly beat, he returned a punch and hit me in my jaw. That made my blood boil.

"Stop!" I put my arm back down. We all turned around. It was Herc.

"What in the hell is going on?!" Raleigh shoved away from Chuck and I did the same. Chuck wasn't done yet. He was going to punch Raleigh again, but he ducked in time. Herc then shoved his son against the wall and growled straight at his face.

"This is over!" There was a battle between both of them that stemmed far beyond what Chuck had just done. I turned to look at Mako who was still in her offensive positions, fists tightened and she was close to where the fight took place. I guess I punched Chuck with more impact than I thought because my hand was beginning to throb, and my jaw began to hurt. I wasn't broken down easily, but it's been a long time since I've had a physical fight with another person.

"Mr. Becket, Ms. Mori and Ms. Hidalgo!" That bark could only come from Pentecost. "Into my office now!" As we passed the Hansens, Herc let Chuck go. He was daring him to do something stupid. He remained still, staring hard at Raleigh, then at his father. He walked away from the scene.

….

We all remained silent, mentally preparing ourselves for the bullets Pentecost had ready for us. I kept my gaze firmly on Pentecost, who was pacing back in forth. I could tell this wasn't only about the fight, but about the drift gone wrong. Raleigh moved onto the bridge and across the water.

"I went out of phase first." He was going to confront the issue about the drift. "My memories must have triggered hers. It was my mistake." He was defending her. A small smile formed on my lips.

"No." Pentecost said and then continued on. "It was mine. I never should have let you two in the same machine." Raleigh was going to say something reckless.

"What?" He was challenging the Marshal. "So you're grounding us?" Suddenly I felt I didn't belong in this conversation. I felt like an intruder. Pentecost looked at Raleigh in the eye.

"Not you." I saw where this was heading. I looked over at Mako and could see her eyes shining. She would not shed tears here.

"Permission to be dismissed, sir?" She spoke softly, as if it would release her tears if she spoke any other way. Pentecost nodded.

"Permission granted Miss Mori." She glanced at Raleigh, but then walked swiftly out with her head hung low. I was going to go after her.

"You stay put, Miss Hidalgo." I looked up at him.

"Sir, Mako has a connection to the Jaeger." Raleigh cut me off.

"She has the strongest neural handshake I've ever felt. Even stronger-" He paused.

"Even stronger than Yancy." I believed him, but Pentecost remained unimpressed.

"This is not a good moment for insubordination." Pentecost was making his way outside while telling Raleigh that Mako was inexperienced.

"I don't think that's why you grounded her." Raleigh said.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Pentecost said. That's when Raleigh began telling him of what he saw. He knew that Pentecost had rescued her as a little girl.

"You raised her, but you're not protecting her. You're holding her back." Those words were enough, but on top of that Raleigh was grabbing Pentecost by the shoulders. To say Pentecost was annoyed was an understatement.

"First, never touch me again." "Second never touch me again, and third: you have no idea where the hell I came from and I am not about to tell you the story of my life. I, on the other hand, know the story of yours. All I need to be to you and everyone in this dome is a fixed point. I don't need your admiration or sympathy. All I need is your fighting skills and your compliance. And if you don't give me that…well you can go back to your damn wall." Raleigh was tense. Pentecost continued to look at him.

"Is that understood." Pentecost was daring Raleigh to go out of line. He was waiting for his response.

"Yes, sir."

"Good" and with that he entered the elevator, before the doors closed he spoke again.

"Tend to his injuries Miss Hidalgo." The elevator doors shut and I was left alone with a Raleigh who looked ready to punch something. I decided to let him regain his composure, I stepped away from him. Raleigh turned to look at me; his blue eyes had a hint of determination in them. I moved my head in the direction of the infirmary and began walking. He followed. We got there in a few minutes. Meanwhile everyone kept staring at him. I rolled my eyes. There was no one in the infirmary and I told Raleigh to take a seat. I quickly grabbed rubbing alcohol, gauze, and a cream that could be applied to bruises. I went back up to him and began looking at the mess on his face. Dried blood was running down his nose, the sides of his head. I worked in silence and quickly put alcohol on a cotton ball. I began wiping the blood off his face and noticed he had a few scratches here and there, but nothing needed stitching. I checked his nose for damage, but it was fine. As I was putting some anti-bacterial cream on his scratches I felt a finger gliding down my jawline. I looked down at him.

"He left a heck of a bruise." I saw a flash of anger in his eyes. I glanced at a nearby mirror and saw a large bluish bruise on my face. I shrugged it off.

"No big deal…I can't say I regret punching him." He had a smile on his face.

"That was one mean punch. You don't look like the type to fight like that." I laughed as I finished up.

"Are you trying to say I'm weak? In case you hadn't figured it out I fought in a Jaeger because I could pack a punch and then some." I re-lived my short moments of glory in the simulations. My thoughts were cut off.

"So why don't you get back on one?" A simple question, with a complex answer. I walked over to the sink and washed my hands. As I walked over to him he kept his eyes on me.

"Everyone has been asking me that lately, and I really don't know how to answer that." I grabbed a seat and sat across from him.

"I don't mean to sound harsh, but you do realize this is the eleventh hour? We're limited and you heard what Pentecost said. How am I going to fight when I don't even have a co-pilot?" Slight annoyance evident in his tone.

"Are we really? I wasn't informed." I didn't intend to sound so cynical, but it was too late. He gave me a look. I sighed.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to sound so…" I stopped to look at him; he wanted me to continue on. My leg was shaking.

"I just don't want to lose my brother. I've already lost my whole family, I can't even begin to imagine…" I felt the tears. I looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm a product of the new age. Molded with fear and doubt. We've all suffered, I know that. But I've gone too many nights without sleeping, involuntarily I'll recall the moments I felt my brother slowly losing life. I didn't do a damned thing. If it weren't for my primitive instincts I would've killed us both and Hong Kong would've been damaged critically." I had finally let that out. A single tear ran down my cheek.

"Feel free to call me a coward. A bull-shitter." I was awaiting that, but it didn't come. He shifted in his seat.

"You're far from that. But you need to realize that products of the new age are also molded with determination and vigor. Your fear is the only thing holding you back, but I promise you it's possible to break. I can see it in your eyes, you have longing. You want to go back on a Jaeger. We need you. The world needs you." I've heard similar words come out of Alex's mouth and Mako's, but not from someone who had only known me for a few days.

"Hey, don't get all teary eyed on me. I hate seeing people cry." It wasn't said with malice, but with sincerity. He had gotten up from his seat and was making his way over to me. I got up and wrapped my arms around him. I then felt his arms wrap around me. It had been awhile since I hugged someone. Even my brother. I wasn't overly affectionate, and I shared my appreciation through words, not as much with actions. I pulled away.

"Sorry about that…" He probably thought I was strange for doing that. He pulled my chin gently so I could face him. A smile plastered on his face.

"What are you sorry for? Didn't I tell you if you ever needed someone to talk to I'd be here?" I smiled. I had gained another friend. We were much closer now, our foreheads touching. I felt like a little girl, butterflies in my stomach. All the clichés. I had avoided forming relationships. My twenty one years of life were dedicated to trying to accomplish my dreams. I closed my eyes taking in the newly formed connection. It wasn't exactly a neural connection, but there was something flowing between us. A bond without being in a Jaeger. I heard someone clear their throat. We pulled apart quickly. I looked up to see Alex. He gave Raleigh a look. Don't go on overprotective mode now.

"I'll see you later Raleigh. Thank you." I then followed Alex out the door. We walked in silence; I had no idea where we were going.

"You are aware he's six years older than you." My brother had a serious look on his face.

"Oh gosh. You think me and Raleigh are together? No!" My brother and his assumptions.

"FYI I'm actually dating Chuck, he's my age." I laughed to myself but my brother wasn't too fond about the joke. I decided to stop irritating him.

"Hey…Alex…I was thinking…." He stopped and looked at me, arms crossed.

"I…think I'm ready to go on Aguila again." His eyes instantly went wide.

"What the hell did he do to convince you?" His tough demeanor returning. I shook my head at his rashness.

"We didn't do anything. I just told him about what had happened four years ago…he made me realize something about myself. Besides this is it. This is the apocalypse Alex. Mami and Papi would've laid down their lives right now if they were here. It's time I start putting into practice all that they taught me." I felt so much more braver. A part of me was brought back to life. My brother pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head.

"That's the Meztli I know."


	5. Aguila Feroz

Alex knew that his sister would eventually find someone she'd become closer to. He hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Throughout the years he's spent looking after Meztli, he would notice how cautious she was with who she allowed into her life, especially after the death of their parents. In his room he glanced at the photo of him and his sister; taken right before they got into Aguila. A smile graced the young man's lips as he unpinned it from the cork board. They had the biggest smiles on their faces. They were going to continue their parent's legacy by riding their Jaeger. They were going to give the Kaiju hell. They wanted nothing more than to ensure that Kaiju would no longer devastate more kids like them. He turned to look at the picture next to the one of him and his sister. A photo of his parents, they were all suited up with the original Drivesuits. You'd be a fool to not notice the determination in their eyes, the bravery they possessed.

_Flashback_

"_Dad you can't be serious…where did you get this wild idea?" A thirty-five year old man turned to look at his adolescent son._

"_You aren't a five year old anymore. I know you're going to take care of your little sister." The fourteen year old continued to have a scowl on his face. _

"_That's why there are younger people! They need to enlist, not you or mom." The man sighed. _

"_Mijo, what we're doing is for the greater good. You know your mother and I have always wanted to do what was best for this family." The boy turned to his father. _

"_If you really cared, you'd stay. You wouldn't abandon us!" The boys temper was evidently rising. The man simply walked over to his son and hugged him. He was resisting, but eventually began crying in his father's arms._

"_Let it out Alex. It is alright to cry."_

Alex put the photo back on his cork board. Several tears fell down the young man's cheeks.

"Stay by our sides Mom and Pops…" Alex lay down in his bed and let the silence of the night take him away.

…..

(Raleigh's POV)

It was 4:30 a.m. and I was ready to take on the day. I never really slept anyway. I heard a knock on my door which took me by surprise because no one would bother me at this time. I opened the door to see Alex. Instead of his usual smile, he was serious.

"Hey man, what's going on?" He was deep in thought. I assumed he was formulating what he was going to say.

"You and my sister have gotten closer it seems."

"Yes…we're good friends."

"That's what I find odd." I raised an eyebrow at him. What did he mean?

"See, Mez just doesn't become good friends with someone. She avoids forming connections with people that extend beyond the acquaintance line." I was going to speak, but he opened his mouth to continue speaking.

"Whatever you told her last night…she responded positively. Meztli's glow returned." At this point he was smiling. He handed me something. I flipped it over and it was a picture of a younger Alex and Meztli. Alex had the cheesiest smile on his face, but Meztli…

"That's you and Meztli right?" He nodded.

"That's right before we got on Aguila." I looked at the picture again. I had seen Meztli smile at other people and myself before, but this smile took the award. I felt the corners of my mouth twitch up to form a smile as well. She was smiling with her teeth showing. Her eyes slightly more closed. That's when I realized what Alex had meant by "glow". I looked up at him and handed the photo back.

"Raleigh, you've gained my sister's trust. All I'm asking is that you be careful with her." He was heading out the door, but before he walked out he turned around.

"You hurt her and I'll make sure battling a Kaiju won't be the most dangerous thing you'll have to face." With that he walked away. Despite the fact he said it a bit jokingly; I knew he meant every word. He wasn't around, but I spoke anyway.

"I don't intend to."

…

(Meztli's POV)

I was walking away from the service line with my usual grapes and apple. I noticed everyone in the mess hall had their head down looking only at their food; strangely huddled next to each other. I looked around and noticed Raleigh and Mako. They were awkwardly standing in the middle. That's when I realized what was going on. I quickly walked toward them.

"Let's get out of here." I walked out of the mess hall and Mako and Raleigh were following. It wasn't allowed to bring food to other places, but at this point I could care less about rules. Although we walked in silence, it was a friendly silence. I was headed to Gipsy's repair area. I plopped myself on the gantry. I crossed my legs and put my tray on the top. I rolled the sleeves of sweater up and began eating my grapes. Mako and Raleigh sat down as well. The technicians continued working on Gipsy prepping her for whoever her next foe would be.

"I am still ashamed…" I looked up from my plate to face Mako.

"So am I," Raleigh said. "They're trying to figure out what went wrong, but nothing did. You had one of the strongest machine pilot handshakes I've ever seen." I grabbed Mako's hand.

"Agreed, Mako. Gipsy responded so well to you." She smiled. Mako had become a sister to me. She was the first person apart from my brother that I felt comfortable around. She knew my story and she shared her own with me. I let go of her hand. I had a feeling they had post-Drift emotions to discuss. I got up with my apple and tray.

"I'm going to check up on something, I'll see you guys later. Mako you're amazing, never forget that." I walked back to the Mess Hall to leave my tray, people were staring at me but I didn't care. I tied my hair up into a bun as I walked back to Gipsy's repair site, but from a different route. I needed to pay an old companion a visit. As I made my way in through the other entrance, I spotted my girl. Her red and white paint glistened. They really did a great job cleaning her up.

"Long time since we've talked Aguila…" I walked up some steps to get closer to the head. I touched the cool metal and left my hand there for a moment. I closed my eyes; a flood of memories rushing in. I took the good and the bad.

"Que fuerte eres…" The technicians weren't touching Aguila she had been completely refurbished. They weren't going to bother altering her further if she wasn't tested with her pilots. I did some quick check-ups on and when I finished I sat down on the edge of the raised platform. My feet were dangling. It was blissful.

"Thought I'd find you here." I quickly turned around.

"Raleigh…what are you doing here?" He looked at the spot next to me, I patted the spot. He made his way over and sat down.

"You never answered my question."

"I thought it would be nice to see who Gipsy's companion was." I smiled at him.

"So…that's your girl then."

"Aguila Feroz…but Aguila for short."

"She's quite the beauty." He faced me and stared at me longer than usual. He then turned to face Aguila, looking up at her headpiece.

"It's supposed to mimic the Aztec warrior headdresses."

"Did your parents name her?" I nodded my head. I remembered the stories my parents told me as young girl.

"The wandering Aztec people were to settle in the location in which they saw an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its mouth. That's why the eagle is placed on the Mexican flag. Legend has it they saw the eagle in Tenochtitlan. Present day Mexico City."

"That's where my parents found inspiration for the name. Aguila would be their settling place. Where they would fight; where they were willing to make their resting place."

"Your name?" I looked at Raleigh, confused by his question.

"Does your name mean something?" I laughed.

"My name is as Mexican as they can get. Meztli Guadalupe is my full name. Meztli means Moon in the Nahuatl language. Besides a means of preserving their culture, my father said he knew from the moment he saw me that I'd be a force of nature. Guadalupe was my mom's choice. It derives from the Nahautl name _Coatlaxopeh_ or The One who stepped on the Serpent." I always loved the meaning of Guadalupe.

"You know…its crazy how well your name really describes you." Raleigh was smiling at me.

"I'm a force of nature?"

"You have no idea… but besides that. Did you ever make the connection of the Serpent to the Kaiju?" I shook my head.

"Don't shake your head Meztli; you're destined to defeat Kaiju." I playfully smacked his shoulder.

"I guess we'll just have to prove that on the battlefield…" His eyes widened.

"Does that mean…Are you going to pilot again?"

"Gipsy's going to have a partner." He pulled me up and spun me around. I didn't think he would get this excited.

"Do you realize how kick-ass that duo's going to be?!" The sound of our laughter filled the area, and I swore could feel Aguila's excitement.

(Author's Note)

Thank you so much for reading! It means a lot to me. This is such a fun story to write. Stay tuned because the next chapters will be more action-filled! Thank you to those who reviewed! I really enjoy reading feed-back and suggestions!


	6. Serpiente

Tendo had to make sure everything was put into its rightful place after the Gipsy incident. It took him awhile, but he completed his task. Just as he was going to sit down and enjoy a much deserved rest the Breach alarm went off.

_No…there has to be something wrong, _he thought. He wanted to search for something that would tell him there was a mistake, but nothing was found. He turned to the alarm display and waited for data to show a misinterpretation. Tendo received no such thing, there was no error; two Kaiju were coming out of the breach. He quickly contacted Pentecost by a video link.

"Mr. Choi?" Pentecost said.

"There's movement in the Breach, sir." Tendo responded. There was a brief pause.

"How strong is the signature?"

"Signatures, sir. I'm getting two readings, and they're heading to Hong Kong."

Pentecost informed him to sound the alarm, and with that the blaring noise filled the Shatterdome.

…

The minute the alarm began to sound, Meztli had shot up from her lying position. She had gone to her room to get some rest, but duty called. She quickly put her boots back on and tied her hair in a ponytail. As soon as she stepped out she found herself facing her brother. One look and they went rushing to the LOCCENT. There was no need to communicate verbally; the two siblings knew this could very well be their chance to pilot once again. As they arrived they noticed how chaotic everything was. The workers were all huddled together, awaiting orders. Tendo was scrambling to get the systems back on. Pentecost entered; alongside him were the Hansens and Gottlieb. Meztli was looking around to spot Raleigh and Mako. Her eyes scanned the many faces, and eventually found the two standing behind everyone else. Tendo spoke.

"Marshal, Breach was exposed at twenty-three hundred. There are two signatures."

"I love being right." Gottlieb butted in. _This is not the time_, Meztli thought. Pentecost sent him his signature warning look.

"What size?" he asked.

"Both Category IV's," Tendo replied. He brought up images of the two Kaiju.

"Codenames: Otachi and Leatherback. They'll reach Hong Kong within the hour."

"Evacuate the city. I want every citizen in refuge, right now. Are there ships in the harbor?"

"Coast Guards are evacuating all crews." Tendo said. Pentecost was silently planning the next move. The Wei's spoke up first and volunteered to go fight. No more than a few seconds later did the Kaidanovsky's volunteer as well. Sasha then pointed at Raleigh, "But not with them."

"Well said Red sister," Chuck said in reply. _Once again, not the time for this, _Meztli thought. Pentecost cut them off with a swift motion of his hand. Gottlieb then brought up Operation Pitfall; Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon were necessary. Meztli was about to raise her hand to speak, but her brother took her hand and held it down. She looked to her brother and noticed he had his gaze fixed on Pentecost.

"It's a city of ten million against numbers on a chalkboard." Herc said.

"My numbers are correct. A city of ten million or the world? It's impossible to save everyone, but if we do not have the Jaegers to deliver the bomb, protecting one city will not matter." Gottlieb stated.

_Numbers, always about the damn numbers. _Meztli saw Raleigh looking at Pentecost, who was not giving him the slightest bit of attention.

"You can't save everyone right?" Raleigh said. No reply from Pentecost. Meztli was becoming agitated by the discussion. She knew Pentecost had to handle so much, but if their indecisiveness wasn't ceased there would be no future for anyone.

"What about Aguila? How come no one brings her up?" All eyes turned to Meztli. No one had expected her to speak about piloting after the incident four years ago. Only silence lingered.

"Sir…Do you want to deploy?" Tendo prompted. Pentecost turned to seven pilots. Not Raleigh and Mako or Alex and Meztli.

"Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha, frontline the harbor. Stay on the Miracle Mile." Pentecost turned to Herc and Chuck "Striker Eureka, stay in the back-guard the coastline. Only engage as a final option." All nodded in accordance to his demands. Pentecost turned to Raleigh and Mako.

"You two stay put."

He then looked to Alex and Meztli. An inner battle being waged, but he spoke

"Are you ready?"

Meztli looked to her brother and noticed a flame in his eyes. She looked past Pentecost and locked eyes with Raleigh. Gripping her brother's hand even harder, she looked Pentecost straight in the eyes. Both Hidalgos spoke with certainty.

"As ready as we'll ever be."

….

(Meztli's POV)

I expected the Drivesuit to feel foreign, but on the contrary it was almost as if my body welcomed it. I turned to look at my brother who was also suited up. Crimson and Cherno were already hanging from a pair of Jumphawk helicopters.

"Mez turn around…" I listened to Alex and faced Raleigh. We didn't communicate with words, but simply looked at each other. When it was time to go Raleigh nodded his head toward Aguila's Conn-Pod. I took a deep breath and walked toward it.

Pre-deployment linkage checks had to be done. My brother stepped into the Conn-Pod first and settled down on the right side. I took the left. The same positions as the last time; my brother took my father's spot and I my mother's. I looked forward. Four years of not being in Aguila. A wave of excitement and fear engulfed me.

"Hey Mez…We'll be okay." He flashed me a smile and grabbed my hand giving it a light squeeze. Alex then placed his fingers on the control pad, a cocky grin on his face.

"We're back baby…we're back!"

"Are you ready Hidalgos?" Tendo's voice resonated in our Conn-Pod. Alex moved his head to me, I nodded.

"Begin the neural handshake!" I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. I wasn't too worried about this part. Ten…Nine…One…

A series of memories came rushing into my head. From the day our parent's told us they enlisted, the last moment we spent with them, the pain of fighting a Kaiju alone. I've identified it as the beautiful tragedy. You take the good and the bad. Silence of the drift. I opened my eyes once again. A wave of relief came over me.

"Neural handshake at one hundred percent! Holding strong and beautifully." I could see the smile on Tendo's face. It felt good to be in sync with Aguila again. However, she was missing her partner in crime. I communicated with LOCCENT.

"Hey! My girl needs another fellow Mark III by her side. Just throwing that out there." A few weeks ago I would've never dared to give orders/suggestions to Marshal, but Aguila made me feel different. I needed Aguila and she needed me.

…

Her confidence was slowly returning and began lifting the spirits of tense workers. Pentecost was surprised as well, but he never really doubted that the Hidalgos would run Aguila again.. However, he hadn't expected Meztli to ask for Gipsy to battle as well.

Although Raleigh and Mako were burning to get on the battlefield, he couldn't help but stare in awe at Aguila. The powerful connection between the two siblings could be felt. The Conn-Pod views of the three deployed Jaegers appeared in the LOCCENT. A fourth screen appeared revealing the interior of Aguila Feroz. Meztli and Alex had just dropped. Their movement was almost comparable to gliding. Raleigh knew that the slight grace of Aguila's step was due to Meztli.

"You are to position yourselves at the coastline, your duty is to defend Striker if needed, and act as reinforcements for Cherno and Crimson in case of emergency. Understood?" Pentecost's voice was heard in Aguila's Conn-Pod.

"Loud and clear." Replied the two siblings.

…..

Pentecost and Tendo stood at the front of the command deck, their eyes constantly looking over the displays and console monitors. Gottlieb, Mako and Raleigh were observing as well. The Jumphawks were positioned above the Miracle Mile, a mile behind was Aguila Feroz beside Striker Eureka.

"Reaching target zone," Sasha said. They began disengaging the transport and both Jaegers splashed down. Their lights illuminated the stormy scene.

Tendo continued to watch over the monitors, tracking the movement of the two Kaijus. Both Crimson and Cherno were receiving no visuals of the Kaiju. They were on the defense, waiting for the Kaiju. In a blink of an eye Otachi presented itself and headed straight toward Crimson. She staggered but did not go down. The Wei's prepared for their counterstrike, but Otachi stroke first. A deep dent formed in Crimson's torso.

From afar Aguila and Striker could witness what was happening. Alex began to feel his sister's anxiousness. He turned to her.

"Meztli…relax…" Alex was feeling slightly fearful himself, but did his best to fight against the feeling. She did not respond, her eyes went blank and she could only stare at Crimson. They were fighting with all they had, but Otachi didn't slow down. They were taking a pounding. Otachi had damaged the channels that fed Crimson's plasma reservoirs.

With every beating Crimson took, she felt a blow. It wasn't physical, but she felt pain. Alex began seeing snippets of the live footage of their parents fighting "Serpiente".

"Meztli, you can't undo that…we can't undo that. Stay with me Mez. I need you to fight with me."

"What is going on?" Alex heard Pentecost's voice.

"It's happening again sir. Meztli isn't responding to me." Raleigh heard Alex, his fists were clenched tightly. He took the microphone away from Pentecost; a bold move, but a necessary one.

"Meztli Guadalupe, listen to me. You have to let go of the past. You live for now. You lived for a reason. Don't back down now. "Alex felt his sister's warmth slowly coming back again, the coldness of detachment slowly melting.

"You were destined to step on the serpent. So step on it. The serpent is your fear, you can defeat it. Alex believes in you, Mako believes in you, Pentecost and Tendo. I believe in you." It was a swim against a current; Alex was not going to let his sister drown in fear. He pushed alongside her. They were going to destroy the serpent once and for all! Slowly but surely, Meztli had felt a surge of power come back within her. She coughed, taking in reality. Crimson Typhoon was already down by the time Meztli was fully aware of her surroundings. She said a prayer and looked to her brother.

Her brother revealed the sword that Meztli and Mako worked on. While Aguila's other arm became a shield. She needed to do all that was possible to defend Cherno. Together the two siblings moved as quickly as they could. Cherno Alpha was barely holding her ground against Otachi, but they were fighting until the death. As they approached the Kaiju both siblings jumped. Meztli wanted to ensure the bastard would get a taste of his own medicine. She put all her force into the shield bash. Otachi gave a loud screech and released its hold on Cherno. Leatherback was moving in. It was going to attack Cherno from behind, before Aguila could attack they witnessed another Jaeger be crushed.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE)

I don't think I've ever enjoyed writing something as much as this. Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's always easier picturing how something goes in your head than writing it. I can only do so much. With that said please give feedback or suggestions!


	7. Duo

At this point Herc and Chuck couldn't stand by and watch Cherno be pummeled and Aguila attempt to battle on her own. A part of Chuck didn't trust their fighting skills, but there was another that realized they were willing to sacrifice everything. Striker went running toward Otachi. Its speed and agility could easily leave one in amazement. He was capable of moving faster than Aguila and Gipsy, throw hits harder than Cherno and had moves that even Crimson Typhoon couldn't do. Striker took on Otachi before it could deliver another blow to Cherno Alpha. Striker hit back with a barrage of punches. Aguila could only stay back and be on the look-out for Leatherback. Meztli also knew that Herc and Chuck were itching for a fight. Otachi went for a counterattack and Striker was knocked off balance, but he didn't go down. Meanwhile, Aguila continued to shine her beacon at the sea, looking for Cherno and the Kaiju.

It was too late; Sasha and Aleksis were fighting for their lives in the Conn-Pod. Most Jaeger pilots knew they faced a high chance of death by drowning. From underneath the water, Leatherback delivered the final blow. Cherno Alpha was crippled and began to sink. Back at LOCCENT they could see the Kaidonovskys struggling to break free. The Conn-Pod feed went dark. A moment later, an underwater explosion raised a dome on the surface; the fire of Cherno Alpha's incendiary tanks illuminating the night. Leatherback disappeared once more into the darkness of the water.

"Cherno Alpha is down, Striker, Aguila repeat: Cherno Alpha is down. Leatherback has grounded." Although both could evidently see what occurred, protocol asked for Tendo to say this.

"Got it." Herc said. The Hidalgo's remained quiet. Striker continued to beat Otachi with a double-fisted blow to the head. They lifted Otachi up and flung her. They began preparing their missiles.

"_Shouldn't we do something too?"_ Meztli thought. Her brother was calm; he was planning something. Alex knew that Striker would cripple Otachi, he was waiting for Leatherback instead. They had to be the quiet predator; still and patient.

"Ready salvo one," Chuck said. "Say good night, Otachi." This was Aguila's queue. Both siblings began running. Leatherback was going to flank Striker. Aguila swooped from above and pounded Leatherback in the head with their elbow. Leatherback resurfaced quickly and released a high-pitched screech. Herc's order weren't completely heard. It was drowned by an electrical shockwave bursting from Leatherback. Aguila and Striker were pummeled by the water and the sound of their impact was almost as loud as Leatherback's attack. Aguila regained her position, but Striker was left in the dark.

"What the hell is this?" Chuck yelled. Herc unlatched himself from the platform and went to the port side of the cockpit. Leatherback came into view. Soon enough the LOCCENT also went dark. From the windows Raleigh was watching Otachi under the lights of the Jumphawks.

"It's some kind of EMP," Tendo cried out. "It jumbled the Jaeger's electrical circuits!"

"They're adapting! This was not a defense mechanism, it was a weapon!" Gottlieb stated. The emergency power allowed the LOCCENT to come back.

"Striker?" Pentecost said.

"Mark V's are all digital. It's fried. All Jaegers are digital." Tendo was panicking slightly, but he came to the realization that Aguila and Gipsy were not.

"Not all of 'em" Raleigh said. This was the moment for the duo to fight. Everyone turned to look at him. At the moment, Aguila needed backup and he was the only Ranger they had left.

"Gipsy and Aguila are analog. Nuclear." With no moment to lose they hurried Raleigh and Mako to suit up. They quickly contacted Aguila as well.

"Aguila?"

"We are remaining at Striker's side!" Alex said. They then heard a loud noise. Aguila was pounded on. Meztli and Alex regained their composure and returned a series of blows. Both siblings putting every ounce of energy into the punches, but Leatherback was massive. Leatherback grabbed Aguila's shoulder with one arm, and placed all the pressure on Meztli's side. The pain was agonizing, but she refused to let it get to her. She was going to fight against the monster. With one swift motion, Leatherback used his other free hand to pummel the motionless Striker. Alex kept punching Leatherback with his free hand, but it was as if the Kaiju felt nothing.

Inside Striker's Conn-Pod, Herc and Chuck were on their own. Chuck could see how Leatherback was attempting to bring Aguila down. Aguila had remained at their side, trying to block the attacks, but Leatherback was too strong.

"Emergency power is erratic." Herc growled.

"We've got to bail," Chuck said.

"No, I've nearly got it." Herc disentangled himself and was working his boots loose from the clamps that held him and Chuck in their starting position. Striker was then impacted by Leatherback, who took the opportunity to hit once Aguila was pushed aside. Herc was flung across the Conn-Pod and a snapping sound was heard. Herc cried out in pain. His son got himself loose and went to his father side.

"Come on! Get up, old man."

"Don't call me that!" Herc retorted. His son lifted him up and once he was back on his feet he cradled his arm next to his stomach. With the good arm he jerked open a steel door set in the Conn-Pod.

Aguila got up once again and the first thing Meztli noticed was Chuck and Herc on top of Striker.

"_What in the world are they doing?"_ She didn't look for a response. They moved closer to Striker Eureka and Leatherback seemed to be looking at them with curiosity.

"Hey!" Herc shouted. "You dented my ride, you mealy mouthed motherf-" Herc's swearing was cut off by Chuck firing at Leatherback. Meztli stared at the site that could almost be seen comically, if their lives weren't in danger. Leatherback recoiled slightly at the burning of the flares in its eyes. The Leatherback was pissed off. The Hidalgos decided it was the best moment to go charging toward the Leatherback.

"Luna's Resplandor." Meztli said. Both siblings positioned their arms; from Aguila's elbow emitted a radiant white light. The adrenaline coursing through their bodies made them feel amazing. They punched Leatherback straight in the face and the Kaiju staggered. The Hidalgos went walking to Leatherback and proceeded to lift him up. Alex turned to his sister.

"Mez, your shoulder!" She smirked at him.

"I have you to help me! Let's go!" The two grabbed the Kaiju and lifted him to Aguila's midsection. The sound of Jumphawks could be heard. Once they threw the Kaiju, they began punching it once more. Meztli's shoulder still in pain, but she did her best to focus on attacking with her brother. The Jumphawks had let the Jaeger down. Standing across from them was the beautiful Gipsy.

"Let the fun begin!" Meztli and her brother felt a new wave of energy. This is what they were missing; the ecstasy that came from beating a Kaiju to a bloody pulp. Gipsy assumed her fighting position. Gipsy tore the EMP emitting organ off the Kaiju's back. While it screamed in pain Aguila revealed her sword once more, "Rayo del Sol". The siblings lifted their arms up and with one swift move embedded the sword onto the back of the Kaiju. They slowly ran it across. Leatherback roared and turned around in a tight turn. That's when Gipsy punched Leatherback straight in the face.

The Hansens looked on at the fight, silently cheering both Jaegers on. Gipsy was following up with a pummeling series of punches and kicks that Chuck recognized from the Kwoon a couple of days before. Meanwhile, Aguila was in back of Leatherback giving it swift slashes. The kicks Aguila gave were effortless. He knew they were Meztli's, she always had a way with her fancy feet. The Hidalgos were known for their movement. Both were trained in the art of Capoeira, not to mention Meztli's ballet classes came in handy. Both Jaegers eventually drove the Kaiju toward the bridge. Leatherback picked Gipsy up and flung her. With a loud roar, Leatherback turned his attention to Aguila. The Jaeger got her shoulder crushed once again by the beast's tremendous fists.

Alex turned to his sister who now was biting her lip in hopes of keeping herself from screaming in pain. She lifted her other arm and they both continued to slash the beast, but Aguila's arm began going limp. Gipsy got up and shot at Leatherback. It sent the creature skidding across the port. Leatherback flipped itself over and faced Gipsy Danger. Gipsy tore a loose crane and attempted to use it as a bat. Aguila came running from the side, blade in front of them and pierced the Kaiju in its side. They lifted their right arms up and made the blade go in deeper and move up. As the beast whaled, it moved its clawed fist at Gipsy's midsection. The Hidalgo's were struggling to maintain Rayo del Sol in the Kaiju. Leatherback pulled at the sword and picked up the Jaeger, throwing Aguila back into the water. The monster began hammering Gipsy, beating her down bit by bit.

Chuck began losing hope.

"So much for these two Jaegers." Herc remained quiet. _If they both die…that's it. _Chuck thought.

At the moment Alex had to put a lot of his weight into lifting Aguila up again. His sister couldn't strain her shoulder anymore. If she did it would be over for both of them. She appeared to be fine, but she had her gaze on Gipsy who was staggering now. Gipsy brought the crane around again and this time they were able to hit Leatherback in the face again. Corrosive blood splattered the wrecked port. Alex realized his sister was planning on using her shield once more. She was waiting this time. Gipsy grabbed metal containers in each hand and smashed the Leatherback's head in between. That's when Aguila began running again. Aguila's arm began transforming into the shield once again. They jumped up and angled the shield. The impact made the Leatherback stagger; taking the opportunity once more they pounded it to ensure it stayed down. Gipsy was now warming up her plasma canons. Both Jaegers bought each other time. Kick and bash with the shield. Kick and bash with the shield. The repetitive movements were tiring the Kaiju, but Leatherback was able to throw Aguila off once again because by now Aguila's arm was not working to her full potential. Gipsy Danger unloaded the plasma cannons; her roar was heard. She fired again. The two creatures locked arms. They were wrestling. Gipsy's plasma cannons fired a third time and knocked Leatherback away. It landed on its side and rolled to a halt.

Both Aguila and Striker heard Mako's voice.

"It's down."

"I made that mistake once before, let me check for pulse." Raleigh said.

Gipsy angled the canons and shot at the Kaiju, all its organs covering different parts of the container yard.

"Nope; no pulse." Raleigh stated.

Meztli breathed a sigh of relief. _One down, one more to go_. Aguila walked back to Striker's position. Her shoulder was the least of her problems.

"You are to remain at Striker's side. The Jumphawks will bring you back to the Shatterdome." Pentecost's voice rang inside Aguila's Conn-Pod.

"Sir, I can still fight." Meztli wanted to continue.

"Negative Miss Hidalgo. You two have done enough." Meztli sighed, but she could not disobey orders now. Pentecost knew best. She already was hurt, and although it was not a severe injury, it would cripple their performance; jeopardizing all they were fighting for.

"_We did good Aguila…" _


	8. Reset

**Author's Note: **I don't think I can thank everyone who reads this enough! I'm really overwhelmed by the positive feedback I've been receiving. Thank you for reading, for reviewing, and following my fanfic.

(Meztli's POV)

As much as I didn't want to leave the battlefield, I knew Gipsy Danger was going to kick Otachi's ass. My brother and I were getting parts of our Drivesuits removed when Pentecost came rushing toward us.

"Job well done, Mister and Miss Hidalgo." We nodded our heads at him.

"How's that shoulder of yours?"

"I'll be fine Marshal. It's just strained." He looked over at me again to make sure I was telling him the truth.

"I'll be in the LOCCENT." With that he turned around and walked away. I went into the changing quarters and put my regular outfit on. Although it hurt to put my sweater on, I hurried up. I needed to see what was happening. I didn't even bother treating my shoulder. I rushed out and rushed over to my brother. We didn't have to say a word. We were experiencing the post-neural hangover. We hugged and then ran to the LOCCENT.

When we arrived the workers stared at me and Alex. They bowed their heads in respect. I didn't know how to react. I simply shook my head and asked them to keep cheering Raleigh and Mako on. I moved closer to Pentecost and Tendo. I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Your parents must be feeling awfully proud. Thanks a lot." I smiled at Herc.

"Thank you, sir." Although Chuck didn't come up to us, I knew he was also thankful.

All eyes were on the Conn-Pod screen. Gipsy was walking into Hong Kong searching for Otachi.

….

Meztli could not keep her eyes off the screen. Everyone was anxiously observing Gipsy and Otachi battle it out.

"_C'mon Raleigh, Mako…" _

She was left awestruck by how well Raleigh and Mako piloted Gipsy. They were doing everything to ensure Hong Kong would live to see another day. They had shattered the tail of the Kaiju and in response Otachi unloaded its acidic contents. The acid splattered all over Gipsy Danger's torso and legs. It was beginning to dissolve the exterior armor. Gipsy lunged forward and grabbed the kaiju's neck. She was squeezing off the Otachi's bile supply. Twisting the sac, Gipsy tore it out of Otachi's throat and flung it back to harbor. Otachi roared in agony and fury and began pounding Gipsy. That's when it raised its arms and unfolded its wings. The wings began to span until they were twice the height of the Kaiju. Otachi lifted Gipsy off the ground with its rear claws. Raleigh and Mako were doing all they could to damage the Kaiju's lower body but couldn't when they were dangling in the air. Otachi rose higher and higher, eventually disappearing into the clouds.

….

Raleigh was having a difficult time holding off the attacks from Otachi and he was glad they managed to at least cut off its tail and napalm bile. The feed from LOCCENT was filled with worried faces. He spotted Meztli who also had a worried face, but she held confidence. She believed in them, and that gave Raleigh an extra boost.

"You're at seven miles," Tendo said.

"At least we won't overheat," Raleigh replied.

"Funny…We've got shit. Raleigh we've got nothing. We can't help you." Tendo sounded nervous.

"I've always been the self-sufficient type…"

When Meztli heard his words she couldn't help but shake her head at his attitude. _Leave it to Raleigh to feel cocky when he's being held by a flying Kaiju. _

Raleigh turned to look at his co-pilot he noticed she was concentrating deeply.

"Surprising that it can still breathe this high, and his wings can carry him this high." Mako said.

"Yep, surprising. Kaiju are always full of surprises aren't they?" Raleigh knew she would understand his sarcasm, but he asked a more serious question afterward.

"Now how are we going to kill it? Both are plasma cannons are done for…we got no-"

"There's still one thing…" Mako replied.

Meztli had heard their conversation and she smiled at Mako's brightness. Gipsy had a secret weapon. No nuclear power needed; just brute strength and the will to fight.

Mako hit a switch and on the motion rig's command console a glowing sword appeared.

"My father was a sword-maker…" Mako said.

"Altitude coming up on 45,000 feet." Tendo Choi said. With one flick of the wrist a long whip made of serrated metal segments spilled into the atmosphere. The segments joined together to form the sword.

"What the hell is that?!" Tendo Choi asked

"Ask Mako…or Miss Hidalgo." Raleigh replied.

_That's all Mako._ Meztli thought to herself.

Mako pivoted on the command platform and Raleigh followed.

"Kamei no tame ni!" Mako cried out. "For her family's honor." Meztli said quietly. The sword was thin and it moved fast. It pierced diagonally down Otachi's body. Otachi was split into two. Thus began Gipsy's tumble down to Earth.

…..

Meztli stood next to her brother anxiously tapping her foot until he put his hand on her shoulder. It would surely irritate the others. Pentecost began ordering recovery teams and choppers.

"Hawks launch! All crews to the roof."

"Gipsy. Listen to me" Raleigh and Mako could see Pentecost and Choi in the LOCCENT feed.

"I've done this before." Pentecost stated.

"Loosen every shock absorber." Pentecost instructed.

"Done." Raleigh said.

"Use the gyroscope to balance…ball up and hold on. I'm sorry. It's going to hurt." The next twenty seconds were the most torturous for the people in the LOCCENT. Meztli only could imagine how they felt to Mako and Raleigh. From LOCCENT, Gipsy's impact looked like that of a meteor strike. She fell in Hong Kong Stadium, an entire side was destroyed. The debris and heavy rain prevented LOCCENT from seeing anything, and Gipsy's Conn-Pod feed was dark.

"Jumphawks, what can you see?" Pentecost asked.

"Not a damn thing, sir." One of the pilots said.

"Gipsy Danger, report…Mr. Becket. Ms. Mori." Pentecost said over the open command frequency. No reply was heard. Meztli took a deep breath; _They're alive. _She reassured herself.

The Jumphawks came closer to the stadium and blew away some of the dust. There was Gipsy! She was standing up!

Everyone at LOCCENT cheered and Meztli couldn't help but release a few tears of joy. The emotions she experienced in a matter of hours were overwhelming. Gipsy's lights came back on and the Conn-Pod feed lit up on Tendo's workstation.

"Report," Pentecost ordered.

The entire Conn-Pod around them was a wreck, but through the screen Mako lifted her head up and she looked like she'd never been happier or more alive in that moment.

"That…felt…good" Mako said. Pentecost closed his eyes, feeling proud of the girl he raised; proud of Raleigh, Alex and Meztli. He then turned to look at Tendo.

"I want the three remaining Jaegers back to one hundred percent functionality within eight hours…"

…..

Everyone made their way over to the Mess Hall, and although they weren't going to be popping champagne, a small celebration was needed. Raleigh and Mako came out of their Conn-Pod and went straight to the food.

"Killing Kaiju makes me hungry!" Raleigh said. He was feeling ecstatic and energetic. Mako simply smiled. Once they got to the Mess Hall, they noticed the celebration had already begun. It was a big day, but it also came with a big sacrifice. Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha were lost. Five good Rangers were gone. Raleigh and Mako received full-on cheers and pats on the back. Raleigh scanned the room and noticed Chuck was at a table across the room. He gave Raleigh a simple nod and what seemed to be a small smile. Once he turned around Herc was heading toward them with an arm in a sling and taped tight to his body.

"You saved us out their mate," Herc said.

"He won't admit it, but he's grateful. We both are."

"All part of the job, Herc. You'd do the same for me." They shook hands, softly since he didn't want to cause Herc more pain. Raleigh still hadn't spotted the two people he really wanted to congratulate. Marshal came in and everyone made room for him to head straight to Mako and Raleigh. He looked at both of them.

"In all my years…I've never seen anything quite like that." He gave them an approving nod, which was the equivalent of a hug to Pentecost. He had acknowledged them in front of the whole crew. Mako had just gotten the best kind of approval from the man who meant so much to her.

Pentecost raised both arms. The Mess Hall went silent.

"This is however, no time to celebrate and no time to grieve…rest assured there is worse to come, and our only chance is to meet it head on…" Blood began trickling down Pentecost's nose. He quickly wiped it off, but everyone saw.

"Reset the clock!" With one last nod Pentecost turned and walked away.

…

Despite Meztli standing in the far back she also had seen Pentecost's action. She had grown to respect this man greatly, and she knew he didn't want anyone to worry for him. She saw Raleigh follow Pentecost.

…..

Meztli was walking toward her room when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around to face Chuck. _What is he doing here? _She thought.

"Hey…listen… Can we talk?" This was odd of him, but she nodded.

"Just let me get something from my room." She quickly went into her quarters and grabbed her running sneakers and checklist. She removed her boots and placed her sneakers on instead. Meztli knew that she'd be scurrying all over the place checking on the repairs. When she came out she saw Raleigh looking at Chuck. His jaw was stiff. Chuck noticed Meztli had stepped out and walked over to her.

"I'll be at Striker's repair site." With one swift turn he walked away. Meztli then faced Raleigh.

"What was he doing here?" A hint of jealousy was present in his voice. She decided to tease him.

"That's how you greet me now? I was hoping for a hug or simple congratulations." Meztli faced Raleigh with a small smirk on her lips. Raleigh sighed, coming to the realization that she was right.

"You and Mako were beyond incredible!" She took the initiative and hugged him first. She couldn't wrap her arms around his neck, but his waist was good enough. Raleigh relaxed in her arms and returned the embrace. Even after being in a Drivesuit and rushing all over the place he could still smell her perfume. They pulled away and a smile was on his face.

"Me? You and Alex kicked ass back there too! Who knew a little girl like you carried such moves." Now he was teasing her.

"Hey!" She smacked his shoulder. He then turned to look at her other arm. Raleigh was concerned.

"How's your shoulder?" She sensed his worriment.

"It's been better, but this is nothing. Just a small strain." She looked at her watch quickly then at Raleigh.

"I'm going to head to the repair sites. I'll see you around hero." With that Meztli was going to head off. It wasn't that Raleigh was worried about her being around Chuck; he was only feeling a bit suspicious about his intentions.

"I'm not the only hero Meztli." She turned around to face him and she smiled. The same smile he saw in the photo. Meztli walked up to Raleigh and pinched his cheek lightly.

"Get that worried look off your face." She continued. "I faced a Kaiju already; I think I can handle Chuck if he gets out of line." With that she turned around and walked away, leaving a stunned Raleigh.

_How is it possible that she can have this effect on me? _He thought. Raleigh barley lets his guard down, but he can't help but let Meztli enter past the guards.

_The apocalypse is knocking at our door… and now you choose to think about the future? _Raleigh shook his head, and walked to his room.

_I sure have terrible timing. _

**P.S. **For all of those who do like Chuck the next chapter will have a moment between Meztli and Chuck (The two youngest Jaeger pilots!). With that said any feedback is welcome and thanks again!


	9. To Believe in Each Other

To say Meztli was confused by Chuck's request was an understatement. She wasn't exactly friends with him, but she didn't hate him either. Meztli couldn't deny the fact that she also had a few words to say to him. As she reached Striker's repair site she noticed Herc and Chuck standing on the side watching the men and women work. She didn't know whether or not to walk up to them or just wait where she was. She then heard shouts coming from above.

"Miss Hidalgo! Will you be doing the final examination?"

Chuck turned around and saw Meztli walking toward a technician. Herc turned to look at his son who kept his eyes on Meztli. From their recent Drift, Herc sensed Chuck had a bone to pick with Miss Hidalgo, but it wasn't his son's typical violent impulsions. It was different. Herc looked over at his son.

"Are you going to talk to Miss Hidalgo?" Chuck ignored his father's question and walked over to Meztli.

"Not as private as I'd like, but we're here." Chuck whispered.

"If you want to talk without interruption, let's head up to the Conn-Pod. I'll tell the workers I'll start the check there." He nodded without hesitation and they walked all the way to the tallest platform. With one order the workers headed downstairs. She stood with her arms crossed, staring at Chuck.

"You…" He pointed a finger at Meztli.

"You irritate me to no end…" He paused. _Well what a lovely way to start a conversation._ Meztli thought.

"But, I do feel a need to thank you." Meztli couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. Chuck was thanking her? She hadn't realized she stared at him wide-eyed and didn't say a word.

"Well, are you going to say anything? I'm bloody thanking you." She let her arms fall and stared at Chuck.

"You're welcome…but this…you…" She couldn't find the right words.

"Yes, it's a bit out of character, but look… because you decided to pilot again I didn't lose another…" That's when Meztli mentally slapped herself. She had to remind herself that Chuck was flesh and bones. He had feelings, even if most of them were negative. She walked over to Chuck and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Chuck…" He moved his gaze toward Striker. She looked at the leather jacket Chuck wore. Striker's logo on it and on the back she knew there were little Kaiju on it; they tallied up to the amount of Jaeger's he defeated alongside his father.

"Chuck your ego…I don't know if it makes you or breaks you more…you love your father...so show him." He looked back at Meztli, anger flashed in his eyes; most likely due to the fact that she had just revealed something he believed was private.

"You know nothing about me and my father!" Meztli looked at him with sad eyes. She didn't exactly pity him, but she felt a tug at her heart.

"All I know is that today more than anything I'd love to hug both my parents, but they're gone. I grew up trying to remove as much connections as possible, in fear that if I lost them it would damage me. Give him a hug, dammit. Yes, the drift is powerful, but you take it as a competition. You want to outmaneuver your father. You like to surpass others." Chuck could only stare at Meztli, his fists clenched. _I really underestimated her. _He thought. Meztli looked down below them. She laughed lightly.

"You know…we're a lot alike Chuck. We've let life pass us by without truly living in it. We thought we were doing the greatest thing by focusing on one task only, but we screwed ourselves over." She knew Chuck wouldn't be able to say anything else. Meztli revealed all of the observations she made of him.

"Forgive and allow yourself to love again…" Chuck let her words sink in. Meztli let her hand come off his shoulder. Chuck gave her one more look and then turned around and walked away.

_Problem is I don't know how. _Chuck thought.

Meztli sighed and turned to her task at hand.

….

Chuck walked away from her quickly. He wasn't exactly angry at her, but he wasn't excited about the fact that she had just told him all his truths. From the moment he saw her, he knew that she would bring him trouble. She was one of the few who dared talk back to him. He walked into his room and punched the nearest item. Chuck was fully aware that he could get any woman he wanted, but he didn't bother. He had only one thing in mind, but he was being tortured by these unnecessary thoughts; he wasn't supposed to feel anything for anyone. He recalled the moment she punched him and the fire in her eyes. Chuck had never seen her so angry; but he returned the hit and she didn't even flinch. He shook his head, but that didn't remove her last words to him from his mind.

…

Meztli had finished looking over Striker and Gipsy. All was going well and the men and women were even more determined to get things done. Meztli rushed toward Pentecost's office to give him the report. When she knocked he saw him emerge with his black Ranger suit. He held his helmet with the symbol of Coyote Tango engraved on the side.

"Sir, what's going on?" She was taken aback by Pentecost. Meztli knew that he wasn't supposed to pilot again. Not after all he endured.

"We have a war to fight Miss Hidalgo." With one quick nod he walked away, leaving Meztli alone. She didn't even inform him of the repairs. She headed in the same direction as Pentecost to find out what was going on.

All the assembled pilots and researchers, LOCCENT staff, and techs were in the Shatterdome, gathered together. Meztli was running back and forth that she hadn't realized it was a new day. She spotted Chuck who was in uniform and Herc. Tendo looked up and called out.

"Marshal on deck!" Everyone's heads turned to face Marshal Stacker Pentecost fully suited. No one said anything, until Mako approached him.

"I don't remember it being so tight." He said. _He wants to lighten the mood._ Meztli thought. Mako did not smile.

"Getting back in a Jaeger will kill you…"

"Not getting in one will kill us all." He placed his hand on Mako's shoulder.

"You are a brave girl. I'm lucky to have seen you grow up." Meztli felt her eyes brim with tears. She knew this was going to hurt Mako, but she was willing to respect his final desire. Mako only nodded at his response. Meztli wanted to fight, but her injury even if it was small would not allow her too. This was the moment for her to talk to them. She went to Mako first. The two young women held each other in a sisterly embrace. When they pulled apart they realized their tears had spilled. They quickly wiped them away and smiled.

"Mako…whatever happens know that I'll be waiting up here to pull you guys up. I'm so proud of you and it was honor to work alongside you." Meztli bowed her head. Mako returned the bow.

"I'll make sure to come back so we can listen to Shibuya Pop while we work on the Jaegers." Meztli could not help but smile at her. She sensed her brother's presence behind her. Meztli turned to look at him and she realized he had a few words to say to Mako as well. She turned around and looked on at Chuck and Pentecost. _He's going to pilot Striker with Chuck. _Meztli thought. Chuck noticed her coming over to them.

"Sir…it has been the greatest privilege to have worked alongside you. I truly can't thank you enough for allowing my brother and me to train together." Pentecost looked down at her.

"You are so much like your mother. They would be very proud of you and Alex; as am I. I know you would love to be piloting right now, but you remain here with Aguila. She will be the gleaming point. The last Jaeger standing." She nodded and thanked him once more. He went over to Herc next, leaving Chuck and Meztli. She extended his hand out toward him.

"You have been a big pain in the ass, but you've helped push me…" A smirk began forming on Chuck's face.

"Likewise Mexico…" He then took her hand in his. Chuck felt a small spark and Meztli gave him a smile. She then pulled him into a hug. _I have to at least give him one lesson on forgiveness. _

Chuck was stunned, but a few seconds later returned the embrace. Someone had cleared their throat and both pulled apart. Raleigh was standing behind them. Chuck nodded his head at him and then walked over to his father and Pentecost.

"You have a way with people Meztli…" He smirked. She could tell that Raleigh could blackmail Chuck with he just witnessed.

"Raleigh…" He stepped closer to her, and took her hand into his. Their fingers interlocked. Both of their foreheads touching.

"Get that worried look off your face…I've faced Kaiju already, I think I can handle several more…" He was mimicking her now.

"I know you can…and that's why when the mission is all done, I'll be up here waiting for you." He kept his eyes on the young woman who held so much confidence in him. His eyes then moved downward to her lips. Both Meztli and Raleigh inched closer, but stepped back at the sound of scurrying feet. They turned around to see Pentecost standing in the middle of the room. Meztli turned to Raleigh and they walked closer to the crowd. Their hands still interlocked.

"Today, on the edge of hope, at the end of time, we have chosen to believe. Not only in ourselves, but in each other. To depend on each other…" Meztli felt Raleigh squeeze her hand even more.

"Today, not a man or woman in here now stands alone. Today will be the day they tell stories about. The day we face the monsters at our door. We take the fight to them. Today, we are cancelling the apocalypse!" The entire Shatterdome erupted in cheer. Meztli took one more look at Mako, Chuck, Herc, Alex and all the men and women and smiled. Once Pentecost stepped down, all members got down to business. Meztli turned to face Raleigh one more time before his departure. She was going to be needed up at LOCCENT.

"You guys go destroy that Breach once and for all!" Raleigh smiled at Meztli and gave embraced her one last time; sneaking in one small kiss on her cheek.


	10. A New Beginning

Meztli hurried off to LOCCENT to stay with Tendo, Alex and Herc. Raleigh and Mako were already in Gipsy's Conn-Pod and the pre-deployment checklist was being run as well as integrating their Drift. Meztli was running back and forth to send messages to the workers and do last minute check-ups. The countdown to Gipsy's Conn-Pod drop was going to begin.

"Engaging drop in ten…nine…"

The countdown completed, and Raleigh and Mako successfully drifted again.

Gipsy's head dropped down toward the deployment bay. _This is it._ Meztli thought.

…..

Six hours had passed, and Meztli noticed Tendo fiddling with his suspenders. A habit he had only when he was nervous. She couldn't blame him though. She too felt apprehensive. Not for Gipsy, because she knew Raleigh and Mako had an amazing connection; but Striker. Chuck was already dealing with a swirl of emotions and he had to come to terms that this could be his last mission. Stacker Pentecost had already endured so much neural damage and to top that off had radiation sickness. He went in knowing it was going to be his final mission. Meztli tried not to think about death. She felt her brother move closer to her. Meztli turned around and gave him a small smile. Alex knew that his sister was feeling worried, but the one thing giving her faith was that the neural handshake readouts were at a hundred percent. Sikorsky's were flying out to drop both Jaegers at the site.

"Two actives still in circle formation in the Guam quadrant. Code names Scunner and Raiju." Herc said.

"Jaegers, time to seal up and get ready to go swimming." Tendo said. Both Pentecost and Mako hit the cable release buttons together, and with that the two Jaegers were dropped and hit the surface of the ocean. It took fifteen minutes for both to reach the ocean floor.

"Half a mile to the ocean cliff, then we jump three thousand meters down to the Breach." Pentecost said. That's when Meztli and Tendo spotted a reading on the sensors.

"Gipsy, there's movement on your left flank." Tendo quickly said.

The sensors gave him details on the size and speed of the Kaiju.

"It's moving fast, faster than any Kaiju we've seen yet."

Meztli saw Mako and Raleigh from the Conn-Pod feed looking around.

"We got nothing." Raleigh said.

It was Raiju and it was headed straight toward Gipsy from the left.

"Brace for impact Gipsy!" Tendo cried. Although Meztli wasn't in Gipsy she shut her eyes as if she too could feel the thirty-five hundred tons of Raiju. Raiju looked like a crocodile only far larger and scarier. Raiju's impact caused Gipsy Danger to stagger. The battle had begun.

…..

LOCCENT was on edge now, trying to concentrate on everything that was on display. The quiet was taken away when Newt and Gottlieb came storming in.

"It's not going to work!" Newt shouted. Herc held both hands up and both scientists stopped in front of him. Meztli turned around and noticed blood coming out of their noses. They looked jittery. _Did they drift?_ Meztli thought.

"What's not going to work?" Herc asked.

"Blowing up the Breach." Newt responded. Herc turned his head to Gottlieb to confirm Newt's statement.

"Newt's right!" Gottlieb quickly said. Everyone was speechless. Both men were agreeing on something. Pentecost's voice was then heard.

"LOCCENT, Scunner has broken off pursuit. We're less than 100 meters from the jump location to the Breach, what's the problem?"

Newt went rushing to Tendo's station so he could come into view.

"Sir, even though the Breach is open, you still won't be able to get a bomb through. There was another reason DNA strands were repeated." Gottlieb came running toward Newt.

"The Breach genetically reads the Kaiju, like a barcode. It only lets them pass if they scan correctly." Gottlieb finished.

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" Chuck said.

"You have to lock up with a Kaiju, then ride it into the Breach and detonate the payload." Gottlieb replied.

"Are you sure?" Pentecost asked.

"Yes." Newt said while nodding.

Newt then confirmed that they drifted with a brain of a fetal Kaiju.

Meztli banged her fist on the table next to her. She wished she could be doing something there instead of standing at LOCCENT. They shouldn't die. An alarm began ringing.

"Striker, I have a third signature emerging." Tendo's voice was tight.

"What? How big?" Pentecost asked.

"Our first Category V." Tendo said. Pentecost could see from the LOCCENT feed that Tendo was frightened.

That's when it appeared. It was three times the size of Striker, and twice the mass of any Kaiju they've faced.

"My God…" Pentecost said. LOCCENT was stunned by the roar of the Kaiju.

"Bitch is big." Tendo said.

"Don't use that word…Call it Slattern if you must."

The first Category V was named. Slattern.

….

"Defenses down!" Chuck shouted.

"Hull is compromised," Pentecost stated more calmly.

"LOCCENT, we cannot deliver the payload." Meztli remained silent. She remembered Gipsy was nuclear. If Striker could not finish it, Gipsy would. She didn't want to cry, she knew very well the life of a Ranger was hanging by a string.

"Heading for the Breach." Raleigh said.

"What the hell are they doing?" Newt said.

"Finishing the mission." Herc said.

"Cannons are not responding! Arms offline! We can't do anything!" Chuck shouted. For once Meztli heard a vulnerable Chuck, and she didn't like it one bit.

"We can clear a path for the lady…" Pentecost said. Meztli knew what he was thinking. Striker's Conn-Pod was then torn open, flooding it with water. The video feed went off, but Chuck's voice was heard.

"My father always said: if you have the shot, take it. It's been a pleasure serving with you, sir."

Meztli glanced at Herc; pain visibly etched on the older man's face. In her heart she knew that Herc expected this to happen one day; but he didn't expect it to be him saying goodbye to his son. She closed her eyes, and Stacker Pentecost detonated the nuclear payload. Striker's readouts went dark and Tendo noticed Herc kneel beside Max. He was scratching Max's head mechanically. _We all are mourning a loss…but he's mourning the loss of a child. _

…..

Everyone at LOCCENT continued to watch nervously as Gipsy made her way inside the Breach. Mako's oxygen levels were low and Raleigh had given her his. She knew that he was going to finish this on his own. Sensors showed that Raleigh had hit eject. He was going to send her up. Meztli felt everything was happening in slow motion, but once she saw what Raleigh was doing she reacted.

"Two helicopters! I need two helicopters ready now!" The crew members were stunned by Meztli's orders. She turned to her brother.

"Are you coming?" Without hesitation, Alex nodded and went running with his sister and the crew members. They were going to make sure they'd be there when their friends emerge.

…

Back at the LOCCENT Tendo and everyone else kept their heads up looking at the screens. Tendo noticed the electromagnetic signature of the Breach changed. That's when he noticed it disintegrated.

"The Breach has collapsed!" An officer began shouting.

LOCCENT erupted in cheers; a wave of relief dawning on everyone who stayed awaiting their fate.

"Meztli, Alex…we've got one pod emerging. Full oxygen, occupant vital, signs strong and stable." Tendo said.

Meztli and Alex looked at each other quickly and then they heard Tendo's voice again.

"No sign of the second one…" Meztli closed her eyes. _He's coming home._ She kept telling herself. Alex noticed something was emerging from the sea below them. He gave his sister one look and he quickly dove into the water. He swam closer to the pod, where he noticed Mako hoist herself up. She blinked taking in the sunlight and looked around. A smile began forming when she saw Alex, but it quickly disappeared when she realized there wasn't another pod.

"Mako we're here. We're going to wait for Raleigh." The young woman didn't budge. Alex didn't even want to think about Raleigh's death and what it would do to Mako and his sister. She was tearing up and Alex hoisted himself on the pod and hugged Mako. He needed to calm her down.

Meztli continued to scan from above. Every second that passed caused her to feel more anxious. She then noticed slight movement in the water. She didn't care about her shoulder; she dove into the water. When she spotted the pod she noticed it didn't automatically open. It was dented and scorched. She placed herself on top of the pod and began to manually open it. Raleigh was still. She leaned in trying to hear his heartbeat. Meztli shook him, slapped his face, but he didn't move. That's when she pulled him upright and hugged him.

"No…" Meztli murmured.

"You're the first person I let in after so long…you can't leave me now…" She pulled him tighter and began crying silently.

(Raleigh's POV)

I felt warmth. It was a comforting warmth, but also suffocating. I had heard what Meztli told me and I felt slightly guilty for making her feel hopeless.

"You're squeezing me too hard." I said. That's when Meztli pulled away quickly and began to laugh. A mixture of joy and relief; but man it was great to see her smile. She moved her hand up and I did too. We allowed our fingers to interlock. I moved closer to her and I could see the pink emerge on her cheeks. I leaned in and kissed her. I could feel her tears spill on me as we kissed. We pulled apart and smiled at each other. A serious expression quickly took over and she crossed her arms.

"Never do that to me again."

I wanted to tease her, but I knew better. I just looked at her and nodded my head. This was going to be the start of rebuilding. A new day had emerged.

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much to all that read and review! I just want to let you know that this story will be continuing. It will not end where the movie ends. I actually was debating whether or not to let Chuck live in my fanfic, but I felt his death was very important to the film (although I would've loved to see him live!). Once again please continue giving me feedback, I'd like to take some suggestions.


	11. 2028

*Three years later* (2028)

Hong Kong's reparations were going smoothly. Most of the city was restored in little over a year. After so much destruction and death, it was beautiful to see human strength and perseverance emerge. Not only was Hong Kong restored, but many of the countries demolished by the Kaiju were being rebuilt stronger than ever. It was a worldwide effort and once again all differences were pushed aside.

Meztli was walking around the Shatterdome, the sound of her boots echoing throughout the walls. Herc had allowed the crew members to contact their families and visit them. After working restlessly for so long they deserved the break. There were occasional crew members walking around, but most of them decided to return to normalcy. She stopped in front of Aguila who stood even more proudly. Her armor was glistening at her presence. Meztli did not want to think of the worse, but all of the remaining Rangers together with Hermann and Newt had a meeting discussing post-Kaiju plans. They had agreed to maintain Jaegers updated and even decided to build new ones. It was tough getting that idea accepted by government officials, but after seeing what occurred they were willing to do anything in the event of another attack. Jaegers were also built for manual labor. It was the Jaegers that helped in the efficiency of the rebuilding process. Some were smaller and built for one person drivers. Both Mako and Meztli were in charge of the Jaeger rebuilding. It was going along well, even with crew members not being readily available as before. When the members did come however they worked for long shifts and were filled with such determination. It created a different aura in the dome.

Meztli finished her usual inspection of the Jaegers, and walked back to her office. Even in such a short amount of time, Meztli had made some slight changes. She let her hair grow once more. It was past her shoulder blades, and had a hint of light brown highlights. It made her face appear brighter and youthful, however that did not take away from her professionalism and efforts to maintain the Shatterdome running smoothly. Raleigh was the first to notice those changes. He had grown to appreciate her little quirks. In the time after the battle they became much closer (even if Alex was a little reluctant at first). One event in particular that made him feel something even more indescribable was when they drifted for the first time. She was so willing to let him into her deepest thoughts, fears, and goals. In turn he did the same. They both let their guards down, and did not regret doing so. Even Herc was stunned. Alex and Mako also drifted together and proved to be an incredible team. Meztli was never surprised when Alex popped the question.

She allowed herself to plop down on her chair and began to open up messages from her superiors and friends. Alex and Mako were on their honeymoon and he had sent her pictures of Cancun. A laugh escaped Meztli's lips at the dorky picture of her brother.

"What are you laughing at, and why am I not here to laugh as well?" She looked up from her screen to see Raleigh approaching her with a smirk on his lips. She showed him her screen and immediately he shook his head.

"Alex is such a goof. Well I guess that complements Mako's seriousness." He walked over to her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"I need you for the next lesson by the way. The trainees need a good demonstration of drift compatibility. And don't tell anyone else..." Raleigh looked around pretending to see if anyone was listening.

"I think we have a hell of a compatibility babe." Meztli began chuckling and slapped his arm lightly.

"Get your butt off my desk Raleigh; you're going to get my papers wrinkled." She got up from her desk and walked over to him. He did the same, but went behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She relaxed and leaned closer to him. Raleigh loved to smell her hair and he sensed how secure she felt to be in his arms. He knew that Meztli had seen some of his dreams of a future life with her when they drifted. Even though she had seen his inner most thoughts, he couldn't help but feel nervous about asking her to marry him. He didn't want to screw anything up with Meztli.

She sensed Raleigh's uneasiness however, and turned around. His arms sliding back down to his sides. Meztli looked up at him concerned.

"What's wrong?"

Raleigh sometimes had difficulty putting what he felt into words. He didn't want to sound brash or rude; especially to Meztli. He knew that she was working her ass off to get the Jaegers built properly and even more equipped. She had moved up in ranks because of all her work. Meztli also ensured that a training program was still intact in the event that pilots would be needed; men and women would have already gone through the training they had once gone through. As much as he loved her determination, and the new found hope within her; he also noticed they were spending less time together. He was in charge of the training program, and she oversaw all Jaeger building and maintenance. She was still stuck in the fighting mentality.

"Nothing…I just think the great coordinator deserves a break." She looked at her pile of papers and then back at him.

"I have to make some important calls. I'd really love to, but…" Raleigh sighed.

"Duty calls…I know." He began walking away wanting to avoid an argument. She called out to him before he walked out.

"When do you want to show the rookies what it's like to be compatible?" Even though he didn't want to turn around he did. A smile graced her face. The smile he fell for. He smiled back and grabbed her hand.

"I'll tell you at dinner tonight at 7…" Before she could respond he interrupted.

"No excuses." He gave her a peck on the lips and walked off. Meztli stood at her door dazed. She often wondered how he could still have that effect on her. While in the drift she could see that Raleigh actually desired to settle down. The most touching part was that he wanted to settle down with her. It wasn't that she didn't dream about the same. She had grown to truly love Raleigh, but settling down was a big commitment.

"I'm being so paranoid…" Meztli said to herself.

…

Meztli's heels were clacking around the Shatterdome as she made her way to Herc Hansen's office. When she knocked on the door she saw Raleigh inside with Herc.

"Here comes the woman who made all of this possible!" Herc laughed. She enjoyed his more relaxed nature.

"Here are the reports, sir. Everything seems to be running smoothly. I got word from San Francisco and their repairs are doing even more great with the help of the Jaegers."

"Nice. And I might add that you're looking lovely Miss Hidalgo." Herc looked at her and Raleigh. Meztli blushed and looked away.

"Well you two have done more than enough. Go out and have some fun." They said their goodbyes and both Raleigh and Meztli made their way to the city.

"You look beautiful." Raleigh glanced at Meztli as they were walking downtown. She wasn't used to wearing dresses and heels, but she hadn't gone out in a while.

"Thank you. I thought it be nice to dress up instead of sticking to my cargos and shirt." He laughed as they made their way into a cozy restaurant. Meztli was glad Raleigh could speak some Mandarin. It made staying in Hong Kong so much easier.

"So when are we doing this demonstration Mr. Becket?" She loved teasing Raleigh by pretending to be overly formal.

"If you don't mind, tomorrow will be perfect. The class is itching to see me fight." Meztli instantly went to look at her schedule to make sure there would be no conflicts.

"Y'know that schedule will drive you crazy eventually. Mez you gotta relax. Live for the moment." She put her phone down and looked at him.

"I'm free tomorrow, so let's teach those rookies a lesson."

The rest of their night was spent discussing the random moments they had while on duty and much needed leisure time. Raleigh already had it planned out how he was going to ask her to marry him.

…

"Alright, who here is ready to see what compatibility is?" All of Raleigh's class raised their hands. They were getting tired of learning the basic skills. They needed to witness some type of action.

"Well you guys have heard about all the different components and definitions of it, but it's important to witness it. Traditionally we test compatibility with the use of hanbōs. It is possible to be drift compatible with more than one person, but there will always be one that is stronger. With that being said, the lovely Meztli Hidalgo is the one I work best with."

That was Meztli's cue to step out. She was barefoot and wearing a white tank top with her yoga pants. Raleigh was instantly annoyed when one of the cadets wolf-whistled. Before he could respond Meztli spoke up.

"Hey Wolf-Whistler, step out on the mat." Everyone remained quiet.

"Come on out, I don't bite." That's when Raleigh noticed it was twenty-four year old William Carter. Meztli walked over to him and smirked. Despite the fact they were the same age, Raleigh knew she was going to teach him a lesson of respect.

"Haven't you ever seen a woman in yoga pants, cadet?" He looked nervous, but instantly regained his composure.

"Funny you ask, no I haven't, but thank you for demonstrating." He winked at her. Raleigh quickly stepped forward, but she put her hand on his. She took a hanbō and handed it to him. He looked at the weapon and back at her.

"You're joking, right?"

"Does it look like I'm joking Mr. Carter."

They got into their starting positions, and when Raleigh signaled them to start. He instantly rushed over to her with brute force. _Mistake number one._ Meztli thought. She grabbed her hanbō and used his force against him. Eventually she flipped him over and allowed herself to keep him from getting up by sitting on him and placing the hanbō near his face. A humiliated Carter was now the reason for the cadets' laughter. Meztli got closer to him.

"You're welcome." She whispered sarcastically in his face. Raleigh was annoyed by their position, but felt proud of his girlfriend for standing up. Meztli got up and addressed the class.

"Let Mr. Carter's demonstration be a lesson to you. Disrespect is not tolerated here. Understood?" Everyone nodded their heads.

That's when Raleigh cleared his throat and both of them stood facing each other on the mats. When they began they both circled each other. Even after they drifted their hangover was intense. Although they weren't connected, they were in tune with each other. Every one of the cadets remained silent in awe. It was beautiful to see both Meztli and Raleigh fight. They complimented each other perfectly and moved with such fluidity. Raleigh especially enjoyed when she'd use her dancing. They scored each other multiple times, and on the fifth time they stopped. The class clapped. Those fifteen minutes were the most entertaining. Meztli turned around to class and was about to give her final words when she noticed Raleigh kneel down in front of her. She looked at him confused.

"You're probably going to dislike the fact at how unprofessional this is…but I couldn't think of any other way than to ask you then on the spot where I first realized how much you mean to me. You make me better and have stuck with me through thick and thin. I love you Meztli, and…well…Will you marry me?"

The crowd of cadets cheered and clapped while Meztli stood stunned. Tears were running down her cheeks as she looked at Raleigh. He got up and she hugged him. Words couldn't express the joy she had. It was shocking, but she couldn't picture herself with anyone else. The happy couple broke apart and Raleigh spoke again.

"Is that a yes?" She nodded and he took the simple yet beautiful ring and placed it on her finger. The cadets began chanting "Kiss!" Both shared a brief sweet moment. Although the whole scene was filled with happiness, there were eyes of envy glaring at the newly engaged couple.

A/N: Once again thank you for following my story! I hope you guys are enjoying where I'm taking the story. Any suggestion is welcome! Once again thanks for reading and being patient with the next chapter!


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